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The Strand Cinema is a landmark piece of architecture in Belfast, shining like a beacon of artistic endeavour, reflecting the energy of the city back upon itself. Phil Kieran is one of the city\u2019s foremost electronic producers, consequently securing pride of place in creating this space of sound much like the building itself does.<\/p>\n
The Strand Cinema <\/em>presents a collection of music about love, loss and the product of surroundings. Cinema is key word here, but also included within that scope are notions of design and the ability to think outside of circumstance. Dark history still echoes, positive futures remain ever hopeful. The album combines elements of live instrumentation alongside pages worth of dramatic, analogue storytelling with each of the ten tracks, proving to be eloquent sides of the same coin. Individually representing the flicker of movement between time and place as the opening title, \u2018The Strand Cinema\u2019 transmits its light.<\/p>\n It\u2019s always telling to look at the titles to learn more about what\u2019s being said. \u2018Pensive Clap\u2019 suggests unease, sounding huge and expansive like the nighttime lies excitedly ahead of you. It is likewise a refreshing, brilliant piece of music. The haunting strains of the bass-punctuated \u2018Transitions\u2019 follows, carefully telling tales of other adventures. The percussive edges denoting \u2018Elephant in Castle\u2019 track the possibilities for forward motion amid heavy-duty signatures of metaphorical yesterdays. Another stunning piece of music. Leaving the heavenly reassurance of the sublime, dreamlike \u2018Monarch\u2019 to propose timely optimism.<\/p>\n A ceaseless cascade of sensibilities is wonderfully explored across the album as the artist\u2019s own impressions feed into its compositions of consciousness. Perhaps it\u2019s the final track, \u2018Last Words\u2019 which is the most impactful, the most poignant in many ways containing the bygone breath of a voice lost to generations, amid a feverish whir of strings, crumbling piano and the brief explosion of sound effects.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.digwithit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/STRANDPORTRAITS_PHILKIERAN-25-1024x683-1.webp\")
An orchestral pulse runs throughout, adding a readily identifiable human touch to proceedings offset by the more curious wiring of Phil\u2019s studio artistry. The first single lifted from the album is \u2018Atlantic\u2019, standing alone in the sense that it\u2019s the only one to stamp the beat of the dancefloor over its uplifting, musical moods. Each remaining number communicates more about the proliferation of atmosphere and the expression of sonic picture-making.<\/p>\n