BORRISON IVY

In The Media > 2012 > The Honolulu Star Advertiser
(05 Feb 2012)

'Office Job' pays with its range

Reviews by John Berger
jberger@staradvertiser.com

"Just Another Office Job"
Borrison Ivy
(self-produced)

Conceived in Dubai, brought to fruition in Hawaii, Borrison Ivy is the creation of Australian-born songwriter-guitarist Richard Barber. Barber is now a Hawaii resident as are the musicians who joined him in Phil Keat's Highway Recording Studio to record. The result - 10 original songs that cover an engaging range of experiences - is mainstream modern rock Hawaii can be proud to claim.

The eye-catching title of "Salary Slut" demands the song be heard if only to find out who it refers to. It turns out that Barber is referring to himself and speaking for everyone who toils in a low-level job with little praise and minimal remuneration.

He continues in a similar vein with the title song and eloquently expresses the frustrations of millions of college graduates world-wide. Barber deals with other topics with similar insight - love, loss, troubled relationships, feminists, political ideals and, yes, the legacy of colonialism in Tasmania.

Ed Silva (drums) and Kipp McLeod (guitar and vocals) join Barber as the core of the group heard here. The buzz-saw guitar riffs and Silva's hard-core drumming give Barber's protest songs the power they require and add a sense of sexual urgency to his tribute-fantasy song, "Asian Girls."

"Just Another Office Job" is available at Hungry Ear, Jelly's and at www.borrisonivy.com.