About
Len O’Neill, a singer-songwriter from St. John’s, Newfoundland, began his musical journey in the local pub and bar scene, playing guitar and bass in rock bands and leading the award winning indie rock band Green & Gold through two albums and several east coast tours. Influenced by a diverse range of artists spanning classic rock legends to poetic songwriters, Len crafts introspective, lyric-driven compositions exploring themes of ambition, sorrow, and personal growth.
His upcoming solo album, “Out Of View,” slated for release in April 2024, showcases a dynamic evolution in his sound, marked by poignant storytelling and vulnerability. Here’s what songwriter John Moran has to say about Len’s work:
“He’s got songs that are meaningful in a way that most songwriters struggle to achieve, he’s not just stringing together a bunch of lyrics and chords that sound cool – he’s speaking from the heart and giving you something you might need. He writes in the way that you’d hope to be spoken to by a good friend during a challenging time.”
Video
Reviews
A review of Out of View by Tony Ploughman of Fred’s Records in St. John’s
One of the first thoughts to strike me upon listening to Len O’Neill’s album, Out Of View, is that I can’t think of many lyricists that write like him. Father John Misty would be the most notable contemporary and perhaps 1970’s/80’s Bruce Cockburn is also comparable. Len has the soul and spirit of a ‘barstool philosopher’ or in his case, a poet with a guitar and insatiable curiosity. His writing thrives on being wistfully reflective and pulling no punches. There are no cliches or lazy rhymes in Len’s compositions. Words and their impact are very important on this, his newest and first ‘solo’ album. It’s a very impressive record, hitting all the pleasure buttons.
Rebels In The Rubble bolts out of the starting gate, fiddle, bass and drum driven, this is a splendid invitational opener, its lyrics read like the summation of a week-long spree with Kerouac and Cassady; “there are two kinds of people in any old town. Those who know that they’re empty and the ones who have yet to find out.” The Kid Couldn’t Find A Calling, melodically reminiscent of Tom Petty, is built around a truckload of self-analysis with no comfortable conclusion in sight. Nothing’s off the table and no commitments are ever reached but ‘there’s still time to turn the arrow of your will”.
Highlight Reel, with little bites of sarcasm, seems to toy with the bitterness of unrequited love while (You’re Leaving For) England displays a softness that comes from forgiveness, “I’m a lighter human being with a shadow halfway under control.” A Certain Kind Of Sadness benefits from some dreamy backing vocals while Sorry To Say, with its sweet country vibe, reminds one of Al Tuck’s work, a tale of a troubled conscience bent on doing the right thing at day’s end.
The Birthday Of Your Life is a fantastic prose-poem, the crown jewel of the album, a genuine story of love afresh, each line near perfection, the listener along for the journey. Even those that have long given up on this kind of love could be enlightened by the joyous concept of losing control, measured out so beautifully in this song, maybe the best he’s ever written. One Way To Go Is West is a troubadour’s ramble, one of the purest folk numbers while Out Of View with a lilting C&W waltz feel portrays the ‘barstool philosopher’ digging a little deeper, pondering weather a man is only as strong as his weakest moment. The album closes with a simple and concise poetic piece, (When The Shadow Falls), interestingly in parenthesis, the singer writes “I’ve been putting things in places, I tidy as I go.”
Len O’Neill has delivered an impressive collection of songs with a great range of rhythm and pace. The band, astutely attuned to Len’s superb lyrical meanderings consists of Liam Ryan (bass), Jack Etchegary (percussion), John Moran (piano), Maria Peddle (fiddle), Michelle LaCour (piano-accordion) along with Jake Nicoll, Lucas Rose and a number of backing vocalists including Nico Paulo and Andrew Laite (Rube & Rake). Len’s lyrics are centered around a great deal of both inward and outward examinations. Even when in dark places he never succumbs to maudlin. In this regard, he’s the best we’ve experienced since Ron Hynes. And when you get right down to it, this album is a true pleasure of a listen and an early contender for provincial album of the year. Cheers!