(Drag City/Spunk)

Scottish grim-meister sees the light

Alasdair Roberts’ previous album No Earthly Men was a particularly grim collection of songs.  On follow-up The Amber Gatherers, he’s not exactly The Grates either, but there’s a lightness to much of the record.  This is particularly evident in the handclap singalong Firewater and I Had A Kiss Of The King’s Hand, old world ballad lyrics accompanied by lilting melody.  At times, Roberts resembles a Scottish Will Oldham, in his idiosyncratic interpretations of national folk music styles and high, quivering voice.  He’s also got an impressive band behind him, including Teenage Fanclub’s Gerard Love, giving the songs no shortage of fluid grace.  While there are tales of death and woe to be found in the likes of The Cruel War and Let Me Lie And Bleed Awhile, there is defiance too: in the latter song, he sings the seeming hopelessness of the title, then follows with the more optimistic line “I will rise and fight again”.  The themes in Roberts’ album frequently resemble life itself: hard but rewarding.

***½
MATT THROWER

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