The Album Review Club - End of Round #9 Break (page 1904)

[journolud]

Reading all the comments so far I’m chomping at the bit to give this a listen. Will possibly get a couple of opportunities in the car over the next couple of days. Definitely sounds like I should like it.

All the talk about the Colour of Spring are intriguing. I’ve mentioned before that album and band are the find of this thread for me. So far…

Also find myself nodding in agreement about the Celtic melancholy, to really badly paraphrase the discussion.

 

[mrbelfry]

I've gibbered too much already today but I can't let that really interesting observation go uncommented on.

At some point during the week I was going to make a point about a certain type of music or sensibility that Scottish bands excel at that the English don't or can't really do. The best I can described it as is a very specific type of melancholy, it's not the maudlin type and it's not wistful either; I was going to describe it as a kind of brutalist form of romanticism but not only is that tossy it's also not accurate. There's a kind of unflinching and unvarnished recognition of how things are but never a loss of hope or even self-pity, it's like something that's flinty but warm, a granite chin but not a hardened heart. The music even when it's quite lushly arranged retains a kind of spartan quality, the lyrics seemingly downbeat but simultaneously revealing a well of warmth and humanity; something I think this album does well.

Anyway I was also going to say that the only English band that I can think of that do the same thing is Portishead and that in fact they take it a step further into darker territory still but again without losing their humanity. They generate a type of cold brittleness that shouldn't on paper feel like it has any warmth at all but paradoxically is wonderfully human at the same time. As an example Roads could easily be one of the bleakest songs ever written but it's nothing of the sort, it's far from uplifting in a punch your hand in the air but it's beautifully cathartic and makes the fragility of the human condition a thing of beauty not in a voyeuristic way but in defiant and hopeful way. It's like a shard of ice that is warm to the touch; I've never been able to get my head round how they do it. Mind that's one for another day I think.

This pick has clearly set me off on one, you've got a lot to answer for Sadds.

Initially I really wanted Hats to have more energy - I wanted it to sound more like Vienna by Ultravox. That's also kind of sparse but has more drama. I really used to hate that song until one day I was out running in winter and it came up randomly on Spotify and I kind of got the atmosphere of it - I must have then listened to it every day for about 3 months until it made me cry whilst I was hoovering and I felt like I was done with it.

After a listen or two of Hats I was being drawn to the lower energy sparser songs. The higher energy (comparatively) songs just sound more dated. From a Late Night Train has that jazzy blues thing going on and I wondered what it would sound like with an electric piano instead of that pad sound and then it was a short jump to Portishead (and Roads) and then it was a short trip to wishing Hats sounded darker. Portishead used to print vinyl so they could sample themselves and get that scratchy grimy feel.

My knowledge of Scottish music kind of starts and ends with Sparky's Dream but I do think the environment shapes a lot of music. I did enjoy the first Travis album but U16 Girls creeps me out too much and I read something years ago in the NME where they implied they weren't too fussy about checking ages.

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

Ended up listening to Nick Cave tonight.
That was our journey’s end.
Never really listened to the guy before.
Both of us were well impressed baring in mind the vibe we have come from tonight.

Will be revisiting the man.

 

[threespires]

Whilst I get the Talk Talk references by The Blue Nile's own admission they are nowhere near their level of musical ability. Mark's voice soars above Paul's although I would say they both convey emotion very, very well. They are closer on A Walk Across The Rooftops both in production and song composition.

Hats is a far different kettle of fish as it stinks of late 80's production. It's also more mellow than their previous offering with not a lot jumping out at me. I've listened to this 4 times now and I'm getting a big mid atlantic vibe. Every song bleeds into the next, washing over you which is fine for a few songs but a whole album? I'm not so sure.

There's also a continuation from the previous album. Easter Parade and Heatwave were a sign of things to come I think.

Do I score this now? It's a hard album to score because if I was just picking it on the basis of my favourite tune, Headlights On The Parade, then it would get a 7. I know, heady heights.

The trouble is I prefer the previous album. It's more edgy. Less safe. Not as much production. And that offering would only get a 7.

Hats gets a 6.

I'm going back to The Colour Of Spring. A much better album all round.

You'll get no argument from me about Hollis's superiority as a musician and I scored TCOS higher than this.

Normally I'd be with you on the production values and equipment on this; but in this case I think it works brilliantly. It's partly because it's just done really well but also because of the juxtaposition of the subject matter at hand and the sonic treatment. Charing Cross in the rain clothed in LA style production creates a kind of otherness to it that imo stops it sounding dated.

But I get where you are coming from with that.

The one area I'd disagree more is in the songwriting in relation to A Walk Across The Rooftops. Where you hear sameness I hear subtlety and cohesion and a sort of story arch punctuated by some brilliant refrains. AWATR has some real high points but this hangs together much better for me personally.

 

[C90]

Hats 8/10. Didn't listen to it for 20 years but bought it on CD recently.
A Walk Across the Rooftops: 9/10
TT: Colour of Spring 8/10
TT: Spirit of Eden 10/10

 

[Saddleworth2]

Scottish bands excel at that the English don't or can't really do. The best I can described it as is a very specific type of melancholy, it's not the maudlin type and it's not wistful either; I was going to describe it as a kind of brutalist form of romanticism but not only is that tossy it's also not accurate. There's a kind of unflinching and unvarnished recognition of how things are but never a loss of hope or even self-pity, it's like something that's flinty but warm, a granite chin but not a hardened heart. The music even when it's quite lushly arranged retains a kind of spartan quality, the lyrics seemingly downbeat but simultaneously revealing a well of warmth and humanity; something I think this album does well.

What you so eloquently describe though is a Scottish characteristic caused entirely by us being a colony of an imperialist oppressor for the last 318 years or so ;-)
(bit edgy for this time in the morning Saddleworth. Behave!)

In all seriousness, I think all you can say is some Scottish bands and artists display this characteristic. Off the top, The Proclaimers, Blue Nile, Big Country in a very different way, Frightened Rabbit but then Alex Harvey Band?, Nazareth?, Deacon Blue? Wet Wet Wet, The Bay City Rollers? Scottish bands like our English, Welsh and Irish neighbours cover a wide range of moods in their music and I really don't think it's possible to attribute a theme to making music in Scotland.

 

[threespires]

What you so eloquently describe though is a Scottish characteristic caused entirely by us being a colony of an imperialist oppressor for the last 318 years or so ;-)
(bit edgy for this time in the morning Saddleworth. Behave!)

In all seriousness, I think all you can say is some Scottish bands and artists display this characteristic. Off the top, The Proclaimers, Blue Nile, Big Country in a very different way, Frightened Rabbit but then Alex Harvey Band?, Nazareth?, Deacon Blue? Wet Wet Wet, The Bay City Rollers? Scottish bands like our English, Welsh and Irish neighbours cover a wide range of moods in their music and I really don't think it's possible to attribute a theme to making music in Scotland.

My point wasn't that all Scottish bands do it, (though I will now make it my life's mission to find something by marti pellow in that vein - I'm going out now I may be some time) but that I couldn't think of any English bands (other than Ph) that did similar.

I've always assumed it was weather related...apparently according to one of your mob it pisses down on you even more than it does us :-)

Edit: that's the second time 'the rollers' have been mentioned on this thread in a week; wtf is going on??

 

[Saddleworth2]

My point wasn't that all Scottish bands do it, (though I will now make it my life's mission to find something by marti pellow in that vein - I'm going out now I may be some time) but that I couldn't think of any English bands (other than Ph) that did similar.

I've always assumed it was weather related...apparently according to one of your mob it pisses down on you even more than it does us :-)

Edit: that's the second time 'the rollers' have been mentioned on this thread in a week; wtf is going on??

The sun always shines on Midlothian.
The Rollers hale from sunny Prestonpans, a bijou little town on the Forth riviera just down the road from us.
That's three times. Shaaa laaa laaa.

 

[threespires]

The sun always shines on Midlothian.
The Rollers hale from sunny Prestonpans, a bijou little town on the Forth riviera just down the road from us.
That's three times. Shaaa laaa laaa.

I thought Leith wasn't technically in Midlothian any more ? The Forth riviera, I quite like that.

I'm sure I read something about them that was quite dark and it all seemed very troubled.

Prestonpan tapestry longer than the Bayeux!

 

[Saddleworth2]

I thought Leith wasn't technically in Midlothian any more ? The Forth riviera, I quite like that.

I'm sure I read something about them that was quite dark and it all seemed very troubled.

Prestonpan tapestry longer than the Bayeux!

Yea if memory serves me correct, their manager (a local tattie dealer) was a wrong un. One or more of the band suffered sexual abuse by him which left its scars. More scandals from attempted suicide to financial fraud to alcohol and drug addiction hit the band and at least a couple are now deceased. Unhappy lives bless them.