(Domino/EMI)

Appealing change in direction for plucky Scots

Scotland, I do love you. I love your Teenage Fanclubs, your Belle & Sebastians and your Delgados. But I have questioned our relationship in the past, particularly when it has come to appreciating your Glaswegian indie rock offspring, Sons & Daughters. But – despite my past history of disliking the group – their fourth record, Mirror, Mirror, proves not bad at all once you allow it time to mature. The band have ditched their rockabilly influences to embrace a more minimalist approach, based around brooding bass grooves, sparser yet more purposeful percussion, as well as the odd bout of synthesizer. Starting out with the disjointed and forgettable leader single Silver Spell, Mirror, Mirror progressively gets better, with likable songs such as The Model showcasing the haunting qualities of Adele Bethel’s voice. She almost sounds like a Scottish Stevie Nicks. And while Scott Paterson does take the lead for songs like Breaking Fun and The Beach, Bethel clearly the focus of a record that plays somewhat like a cautionary tale. The cyclical and omnipresent bass of Ailidh Lennon contrasts with shimmering, often distant, guitars combine to create a brooding atmosphere. Songs like Bee Song make it seem that the world is a hairsbreadth away from implosion and Rose Red and Axed Actor only add to this sense of darkness, the latter documenting ‘50s actress Elizabeth Short (famously known as the Black Dahlia). With a few good listens, the seemingly ordinary becomes exponentially more interesting, marking Mirror, Mirror as the band’s finest work to date.

****

DARRAGH MURRAY

Be first to comment on this article

Write Comment
Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Poster's IP addresses are logged.
Name:
Comment:
Code:*