list.co.uk/music Records | MUSIC
INDIE POP TRACYANNE & DANNY Tracyanne & Danny (Merge Records) ●●●●● CONTEMPORARY FOLK HAMISH HAWK & THE NEW OUTFIT From Zero to One (Epifo Music) ●●●●●
A press release for a new record isn’t a definitive statement from the artists concerned, but in the absence of any interviews from Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell or Bristol-based songwriter Danny ‘Crybaby’ Coughlan, it’s hard not to speculate on the nature of their collaboration. The release refers, first of all, to the death of Campbell’s bandmate and friend Carey Lander in 2015 and then points out that ‘Tracyanne & Danny is not a diverting curio or a wee stop on the road to someplace else. There will be more songs.’ What that says for the immediate future of Camera Obscura is hard to guess, but
it says much for the importance of this record that Campbell has chosen it as the vehicle for her first songs since Lander's death. There’s an air of elegiac country sadness here which fans of Campbell’s other band will love, even on the brighter songs; a stirring blend of shuffling drums, steel guitar, sad horns and sweeping strings which perfectly complement this pair’s tough but heartbroken voices. A sense of loss permeates the whole record, from the mourning of a breaking love on ‘It Can’t Be Love Unless It Hurts’ to the plea to an old friend or lover to explain their elopement to America on ‘2006’ and ‘Cellophane Girl’s galloping exhortation to snatch romance where we can. Between themselves, Campbell and Coughlan have conjured a simple but beautiful evocation of memory and time passing, from the almost unbearable perspective of those you love no longer being there to share the old days with you.
Yet this record serves not to depress or browbeat. When the lush baritone of Edwyn Collins – in whose studio it was recorded – turns up on ‘Alabama’, it’s a joyous reminder that every moment is precious. ‘I couldn’t hope for a better soul / when I’m an old lady I’ll still miss you like crazy,’ sings Campbell, and the realisation she’s addressing her friend draws a tear. (David Pollock) ■ Out on Fri 25 May. Tracyanne & Danny play St Luke’s, Glasgow, Thu 31 May.
Performing regularly around Scotland with the likes of King Creosote, James Yorkston and Withered Hand, Hamish Hawk has gradually established himself as one of the newer darlings of the Scottish contemporary music scene. The folk troubadour’s warm baritone vocals lend the perfect backdrop to his sharp and reflective storytelling, and over the years, Hawk has successfully managed to hone this pairing.
With his four-piece backing band The New Outfit in tow, From Zero to One signifies a step forward in his mastery as a songwriter, with sparkling arrangements and a mature sensitivity taking centre stage. In tracks like the opener ‘Nomad’, Hawk allows the buoyancy of his melody to create a confident yet frantic feel. Elsewhere, there’s a clear contrasting sense of hushed nostalgia and quiet contemplation, such as on ‘Catherine Opens a Window’ and the crooning and muted ‘Snuff’.
‘Goldenacre’ is a brilliant example of his anecdotal wit, while the gentle lullaby- like ‘Blueprints’ underlines Hawk’s honeyed vocals, with its delicate, unobtrusive theme. The title track is a definite highlight, introspective and simple in its instrumentation, closing the record with a hint of melancholia that is wistful and, at times, moving.
Ultimately, the Edinburgh songwriter’s new album speaks of a versatility that is often more easily discernible in musicians with a far more extensive back catalogu e. But in From Zero to One, we
see him amp up the charisma and exuberance in his delivery, along with the smart lyricism previously heard on his debut Aznavour and on the Swannanoa EP. Through ten tracks of poetic and vivid snapshots, we’re invited to enjoy both the magic and normalcy of Hamish Hawk’s narrative adventures, as well as the cinematic landscape he manages to paint through words and melody. (Arusa Qureshi) ■ Out now.
INDIE POP FIRESTATIONS The Year Dot (Lost Map) ●●●●●
After many a successful festival outing, London five-piece Firestations took their time with the follow-up to 2014’s debut, Never Closer, and this creative percolation shows on The Year Dot, a record whose thematic nuance rewards repeated listening. Recorded over three years, in a small home studio in Walthamstow, The Year Dot manages to negotiate its DIY credentials with a richness of subject and sound that recalls Yo La Tengo at their most spacey and contemplative. While ‘Lightning Strike’ and ‘Pyramid Scheme’ continue the absorbing,
alt-pop vein of Never Closer, the band push us towards pulsing, neo-psych territory on ‘Old Letters’, and tighten things up on bright, catchy tracks like ‘Build a Building’ and ‘Receiver’. ‘Blue Marble’ alludes to Carl Sagan’s famous ‘pale blue dot’: a photograph of the Earth suspended in cosmic abyss. With dreamy, clean guitars, celestial percussion and hazy melodies, Firestations present that sense of worldly vulnerability in synth-driven glimpses of the sublime. At times bittersweet, laced with languorous passages while elsewhere charged with energy, the record feels both collective and personal, a statement of lost time and contemporary urgency. The Year Dot, of course, means ‘a long time ago’. Much of the album is glazed in nostalgia; but as its lyric textures solidify, more and more details appear, wistful and clear, in the cracks. This is high-definition indie, refining its humble, lo-fi inspirations. Covering everything from the rise of right-wing politics to dead- end jobs, urban living and sci-fi solutions to human mortality, the record probes the reveries and complexities of everyday life. It’s possible to just sink into
the familiar solace of such honeyed, electro-indie tones, but The Year Dot also has a critical heft: pursuing ambitious social commentaries while playfully teasing its own sonic glitches. (Maria Sledmere) ■ Out Fri 6 Apr.
FOLK ELECTRONICA WYE OAK The Louder I Call, the Faster it Runs (Merge Records) ●●●●●
Andy Stacks and Jenn Wasner are back with a fifth album since their band’s formation in 2006. The once-defined indie-rock duo are perhaps now more accurately known for their foray into electronica, and this record offers both an intriguing blend, and contrast, between their folk roots and synthetic present. The album’s opening consists of 40 seconds of tuning instruments. It’s a clever tone-setter for what’s to come, suggesting that Wye Oak view their music as primarily instrumental, with electronic influences secondary. The title track is a wonderful crescendo of melodies complementing Wasner’s dreamy, layered vocals. Demonstrating her impressive stylistic range, she often floats into a world of dream-pop, while at other times invokes the earthiness of a folk-rock musician and, in some moments, successfully veers into the sharp, crispness associated with such R&B and electronic voices as Yukimi Nagano of Little Dragon.
Wye Oak are still experimenting with some of their musical traits, and if it results in a few misses, it’s mainly due to a lack of diversity. Songs such as ‘It Was Not Natural’ and ‘Lifer’ are real standouts, melodically and lyrically, but there are a few too many weaker inclusions. Penultimate track ‘Join’ is a real delight, though, a slightly more stripped back arrangement that harks back to old Wye Oak.
The production quality throughout is modern and fresh with moments of cacophony being well- executed, and the juxtaposition of high-quality electronic production against the folky, earthy essence of the album is a real achievement. On ‘Lifer’, a reflective Wasner insists ‘I believe that life could be better’. This album is not perfect, but impressively, they’re a duo who continue to try and make music that steadily improves. For this long and determined musical journey, they should be commended. (Kenza Marland) ■ Out Fri 6 Apr.
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