Back in 2007, singer songwriter Eugene McGuinness released ‘The Early Learnings of…’, an album that explored moody retro pop with a spooky undertone (‘Vampire Casino’), numbers centred around a hard strummed guitar and slightly distorted vocal (‘A Child Lost In Tesco’, ‘Monsters Under The Bed’), and even lo-fi works that sounded like the ghost of Brian Wilson colouring Tindersticks balladry (‘Madeleine’). His scattershot approach resulted in an album that presented a very interesting voice in the world of adult pop.
Almost twenty years on, the best bits of ‘Eugene McGuinness Versus The Universe’ share tunes that sound sonically stronger, but aren’t necessarily any more beholden to a particular genre. Most importantly, the more expensive sound allows more of an insight into the performer’s vocal strengths – and it’s very often Eugene’s vocal talents that are the biggest draw here.
Kicking off the record, ‘Meteor Man’ actually shares something that feels a little more immediate. Hard strummed acoustic guitars are joined by a busy melody that pushes a strong folk agenda, and the contrast of finger picked elements, twanging electric guitar and occasional blankets of keys hinting at something that could’ve been orchestrated sets up a great layered sound. No matter where the music goes, though, Eugene’s voice – although slightly distorted – soars with a confidence that carries a great melody. Switching into more of a lo-fi indie pop vibe, the piano, drum machine and punchy bass that provide the heart of ‘Seascape’ sound like something inspired by a Badly Drawn Boy demo. Despite the drums giving a sense of something unfinished, the melody is wonderful, and the way a clean vocal glides with a soulful ache over the spikier backdrop is classic McGuinness. The track certainly deserved something better than a whistling interlude – this doesn’t sit comfortably within this particular number, although it definitely fits with the recording’s rather homespun qualities – but that’s made up for later with the help of a wordless, rather accessible melody fleshing out a strong climax.
‘London’ taps into a very old fashioned sound, and with superb results. The track’s low key melody works mournful strings and light keys in a way that calls back to baroque sounds of the 70s, but a bright production sound and a light vocal offset the older heart with something that feels a little more contemporary. The music, despite being rich, always takes a back seat to a vocal that shares an almost perfect, rather mournful cry, and this, despite never aiming to be a crowd pleaser works brilliantly, as it pitches Eugene as the natural successor to artists like Tindersticks. creating a great late night vibe in way under three minutes, those who like this number will absolutely love it. Another of this album’s highlights is supplied by the especially lyrical ‘Icarus’. Set against hard strummed acoustic guitar, the singer shares a tale of feeling as if he’s the title character, using the metaphor of flying too close to the sun to convey his own insecurities. Likening himself to “an outcast on an island of misfit toys” and someone who’s “on the other side of the reflection”, McGuinness really isn’t shy of turning a striking phrase or two, but is smart enough to realise that he also needs to court those who are not entirely into lyrics, and couples his tale with a great arrangement where the acoustics are eventually joined by some rather dramatic drumming and dark orchestral swirls befitting of an early 70s Tim Buckley recording. There’s also something about this track that has more than a faint air of something from the world of The Last Shadow Puppets, bringing a slightly more contemporary feel to a retro sounding number. It might take a few plays before the magic really becomes obvious, but this is a great track.
Taking a more traditional stance, ‘From The Bridge’ revisits a classic acoustic singer songwriter sound from the past. Its opening verse – all clean acoustics and assured vocals – sounds like something straight out of 1973, and even when droning organs bring a darker tone augmented by gospel tinged vocals, and an occasional steel lends an almost Americana-esque tone, the performer’s debt to the past cannot be avoided. The layered feel of this track gives the album something pleasingly rich, and although the end result sounds nothing like the talent behind ‘Seascape’ (heard barely ten minutes earlier), the listener is greeted by one of this record’s obvious highlights. Elsewhere, McGuinness takes another musical detour on the semi-droning ‘Drag’, a short number that sounds like the soundtrack to a dream with its minimalist musical backdrop dominated by a huge vocal and Buckley-ish tone, and the brilliant ‘Warped Tapes’ shows off a live sounding recording where solo electric guitar calls back to Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’ while the mournful lead vocals owe more to Richard Hawley and Roy Orbison. In terms of showing off Eugene’s love for vintage sounds, this is hard to beat, despite never making it out of first gear, musically speaking.
The mix of busy beats and blanket-like synths gives the core of ‘Eastend Requiem’ a very interesting sound, but despite how ear-catching that can seem, it’s no match for the track’s vocal. McGuinness contrasts the rather complex music with a wonderfully simple performance that allows his rich tones to soar, almost Jeff Buckley-like in places, giving this adult pop number the feeling of something much older. That would be enough to make these four minutes work, but the latter part of the number’s use of multi-layered voices and rich orchestration allows for something much deeper. The best bits of ‘…Versus The Universe’ share some enjoyable sounds, but this is a track that goes the extra mile in advertising a great talent.
‘Eugene McGuinness Versus The Universe’ isn’t going to be for everyone, but those able to find a way in, or summon any kind of love for the performer’s sometimes quirky, often baroque and downbeat sense of melody are likely to discover a distinctive talent. While his work is not always entirely consistent, it’s clear that Eugene has an ear for a great tune, and when that comes through, this disc has plenty of charm. Approached with an open mind and an open ear, this could even be an unexpected gem.
April 2026