| Eugene McGuinness | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Eugene + the Lizards |
| Born | 11 August 1985[1] Leytonstone, London, England |
| Genres | Indie rock |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Singing, guitar |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Domino Records |
| Website | Eugene McGuiness' Domino Minisite |
| Members | |
| Dominic McGuinness Malcolm Lunan John Barrett |
|
Eugene Michael McGuinness[1] (born August 1985[1] in Leytonstone, London) is a British singer-songwriter and frontman of Eugene + the Lizards, currently living in London [2] and is of Irish heritage.[3]
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His first release, The Early Learnings Of Eugene McGuinness, was released on 6 August 2007,[4] on Domino Records' sublabel Double Six Records.[5] Although the extended play was less than half an hour long, it received praise from critics. BBC reviewer Chris White called it "brimful with ideas" and stated that McGuinness' voice on the record "soars euphorically and coos playfully with equal aplomb".[4] Drowned in Sound gave the EP a rating of 9/10, saying "McGuinness has a way with words that's quite remarkable".[5] However, despite gaining the backing of its critics, it failed to chart in the United Kingdom.
Following the good response of Learnings, he went on to release his eponymous debut album, Eugene McGuinness, under the Domino label on 13 October 2008.[6] Unlike the last release, Eugene McGuinness is a full-length album with twelve tracks.[7] The album received generally positive reviews from critics. Drowned in Sound labelled it "a bold and confident piece of brilliance, equally off kilter as it is tenderly raw".[8] The BBC said that the album "runs the formative gamut of angsty, carefree, happy-sad, hormone-fuelled, late-teens emotions with a solipsistic disregard for any feelings but his own".[6] NME gave the album 8 out of 10, and The Times named it their album of the week. Meanwhile an Observer journalist called the album "busily eclectic but... can make no great claims to originality",.[9] Allmusic gave it 4 out of 5 stars, saying that "the arrival of Eugene McGuinness a true cause for celebration." [10]
Recently McGuinness began playing as Eugene + the Lizards, along with his brother Dominic McGuinness, Malcolm Lunan, and John Barrett. On 30 November 2009, they released their first album together, Glue, originally was released as a 6-track limited edition 10" vinyl record, which then came with a digital code to download all 6 tracks plus the additional 4 tracks online for free, though the full album is now available on iTunes and AmazonMp3.
Alongside playing as a session and tour member for Miles Kane, Eugene is currently recording his third album in London, Domino expect it to be released for Autumn 2011.