Fans mourning the demise of the mercurial Scottish pop deconstructionists the Delgados can put away their tissues, as vocalist/guitarist Emma Pollock has crafted one the group's finest efforts to date, albeit as a solo artist. The 11 cuts that make up the gifted singer's lovely and windswept debut Watch the Fireworks echo many of her former band's finest moments, a notion that has as much to do with Pollock's clear, crisp, and effortless voice as it does the fact that her husband and former Delgados drummer Paul Savage brings all of the economical, clock-like urgency to the kit that he did on key band tracks like "Light Before We Land," "Knowing When to Run" and "Girls of Valour." Pollock's gift for serpentine airs asserts itself in the very first minute of opener "New Land," a gorgeous waltz that gets more and more sinister with each loop of its long-limbed main melodic phrase. Pollock achieves a similar feat on the album's three mesmerizing allads. Like fellow 4AD alums Lisa Germano and Kristin Hersh, Pollock knows how to conduct atmosphere, and between the heartbreaking "Limbs," the ethereal, Cocteau Twins-inspired "Fortune," and the mystical closer "Optimist," she lays down enough mist to challenge all of the heavyweights of mid-'90s dream pop combined. That's not to say that the record as a whole is a downer, as she, along with Savage, his multi-talented keyboard playing brother Jamie, and Aereogramme bassist Campbell McNeil have crafted enough sugary indie pop confections to launch a hundred late summer road trips (the expansive, piano-led "Adrenaline" alone, if played before noon on a workday, could result in a lunch break that easily blurs into a weekend). Watch the Fireworks toasts all the seasons, though the moors and highlands of its "creator"'s native Scotland paint it with the long shadows of impending winters. Other acts have mined this mid-tempo landscape before, but few have had it this figured out beforehand.
it was Sunday, November 11th and I was tired, not really looking forward to the evening ahead. You know the feeling, after a busy week & weekend, a late night spent out could be viewed as a chore. Sometimes you have to G yourself up, make yourself go out. Sometimes you put on your "getting ready music" (insert Big Audio Dynamite "Rush" here) to get the mood going before you head out the door...
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..After the amicable breakup of The Delgados, one of the voices of this outstanding band has gone off on her own... Emma Pollock will be playing tonight at The Rickshaw Stop.... here's a taste of her music with The Delgados... "THE CITY CONSUMES US" from "Universal Audio".... this song builds and at the three minute mark it's full-on goosebump time... .......and from her new album, "Watch The F...
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As I mentioned last week in this post, I was given the opportunity to provide the music for a recent church dance. I feel it only appropriate to let you know how it came off.For those of you that think it odd that a church would sponsor a dance that features something as heathen as rock 'n' roll, you've not hung around Mormons very long. They're a dancing-crazy bunch, especially the youth. Take...
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I was scanning the new release newsletter from allmusic.com last night, trying to fight through the Kanye v. Fiddy BS to find some new music I could love. My eyes fell on the new album by Emma Pollock, Watch the Fireworks, on the 4AD label. Those that know me well understand that I'll check out any 4AD release on general principle.I've heard of her from her previous band, the Delgados. I'd like...
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it was Sunday, November 11th and I was tired, not really looking forward to the evening ahead. You know the feeling, after a busy week & weekend, a late night spent out could be viewed as a chore. Sometimes you have to G yourself up, make yourself go out. Sometimes you put on your "getting ready music" (insert Big Audio Dynamite "Rush" here) to get the mood going before you head out the door...
More >
Here's a nice tune to get you going, but not too fast, on a Sunday morning. Oh and here is a little something to read about "Emma Pollock":http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/5nw6/ in case you don't have a newspaper handy. And coffee.
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..After the amicable breakup of The Delgados, one of the voices of this outstanding band has gone off on her own... Emma Pollock will be playing tonight at The Rickshaw Stop.... here's a taste of her music with The Delgados... "THE CITY CONSUMES US" from "Universal Audio".... this song builds and at the three minute mark it's full-on goosebump time... .......and from her new album, "Watch The F...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 New Land |
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| 2 Acid Test |
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| 3 Paper and Glue |
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| 4 Limbs |
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| 5 Adrenaline |
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| 6 If Silence Means That Much to You |
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| 7 Fortune |
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| 8 You'll Come Around |
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| 9 This Rope's Getting Tighter |
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| 10 Here Comes the Heartbreak |
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| 11 The Optimist |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Watch the Fireworks")
