The Luke Mulholland Band
Further
2008
The Luke Mulholland Band opens their 2008 release Further with a nice drive, but about 13 seconds in, I realized something: I’ve heard all this before. Not these exact lines or chord progressions — I think — but as competent as this group might be, fronted by a young guitarist currently attending the Berklee College of Music, there’s not a lot here that’s honestly original to catch the ears of interested listeners.
There’s not much more to be said: Mulholland may have all the technical skill in the world, but his creative streak is lacking in no small way. In addition to creating music that doesn’t sound unique among other music, the tracks on Further don’t even sound unique among themselves, each riffing on the same blues-rock themes played throughout the album — perhaps whoever designed the cover for the album realized this, as Mulholland is shown in a shade of blue himself. Subtle.
Now, maybe Mulholland is a hell of a performer live: I can’t say for certain, as I’ve never seen him. I can say with some certainty, though, that Luke Mulholland’s writing on Further is not interesting. I wouldn’t quite call it dismal — it’s not to that level — but it doesn’t make for an enjoyable listening experience.
