Sons & Daughters -‘Mirror Mirror’ (Domino)

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before…

I first saw Sons & Daughters book in 2003, when they were first on a bill at York Fibbers, which also featured Dogs Die In Hot Cars and was headlined by Franz Ferdinand, who had just released their debut single ‘Darts Of Pleasure.’ It was an awesome night, and I continued to recount it with glee to anyone who’d listen over the next year, asthe profile of all three acts rose considerably. Sons & Daighters were good that night, but impressed me progressively more and more over the coming few years. I saw them as a support acts numerous times (Franz again, Fiery furnaces, Fire Engines, Idlewild, and Morrissey), eventually seeing them headline in 2008, with a then unsigned Broken Records as support. They became more and more bewitching on stage, with the interplay between Adele Bethel and Scott Paterson on stage becoming positively like sorcery.

The first record to come out was the Love The Cup mini-album, with its fiery feel, and hardly a foot out of place in twenty-five monutes. They followed this up with The Repulsion Box full-length (they claimed that they’d released two debuts), and when The Delgados split in 2005, Sons & Daughters became my favourite Scottish act. This Gift had some good moments, but it wasn’t as bewitching as their earlier material. Mirror Mirror has been talked up as return to the sound of those earlier releases and being darker. It has been produced by JD twitch, one of the team behind Glasgow’s famous Optimo club.

Within a few moments of opener ‘Silver Spell’ making its presence felt, what we have heard is true: they have got darker again. Throughout the album, the glam meets American Gothic that characterised their early work is once more to the fore, and it seems that the decision to work with JD Twitch was a good one, adding more texture to the sound. There’s still surprises to be had -‘Axed Actor’ seems to hint at Bananarama’s hit ‘Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye).’ Unquestionably the album is the most atmospheric of their career.

It amazes me, and frankly, frustrates m in all seriousness, that sons & daughters have not had the commercial breakthorugh that I believe they deserve and have earned. This is a damning slight on the part of the record buying public.

Do not make the same mistake…

Mirror Mirror is out now on Domino.

Sons & Daughters – Silver Spell by DominoRecordCo

Sons & Daughters – Silver Spell (A JD Twitch Optimo Remix) by DominoRecordCo

What a difference three years makes.

The last time I saw Sons & Daughters, in 2008 at Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall, they had just released This Gift. Support acts that night were the Black Kids (then riding high on a wave of hype that ultimately didn’t deliver) and a then-unsigned Broken Records. How things change…

Anyway, Sons & Daughters are set to release their third album (if you only count Love The Cup as a mini-album) Mirror Mirror on June 13. The tracklisting is as follows:

Silver Spell
The Model
Breaking Fun
Orion
Don’t Look Now
Ink Free
Rose Red
Axed Actor
Bee Song
The Beach

Album opener track ‘Silver Spell’ has been available as a free download for a little while now (I know -but when it started circulating I was pretty wrapped up with a new baby), and now there is an Optimo remix doing the rounds as well – both free to download!

Enjoy…

Sons & Daughters – Silver Spell by DominoRecordCo

Sons & Daughters – Silver Spell (A JD Twitch Optimo Remix) by DominoRecordCo

OK…the idea is outrageously simple, and nicked off JC over at the Vinyl Villain.

As JC approached 45, he did the countdown to his birthday doing 45 7″s (or 45s as the Americans call them). As I approach my 33rd birthday on November 15 (sarcy comments not needed) I am going to do 33 LPs that have shaped me. It would have helped if one of the cats hadn’t jumped on the USB turntable last night, but these things happen.

This will start tomorrow -so why not a bit of a mini-album (seeing as it’s technically 33 1/3 rpm!)

Sons and Daughters -‘Love The Cup (Domino, 2004)

During the weekend just gone, I was privileged to be at Gargleblast Studios in Hamilton. 17 Seconds’ act Escape Act were over recording material for their second album which will hopefully be released by us in 2010. The studio is owned by Andy Miller, who produced Mogwai’s Young Team amongst others (and it was the original Chem 19). When he told me that the first Sons & Daughters record, Love The Cup was recorded there I commented : ‘I love that record. It’s perfection. It’s the best thing they’ve ever done.’

Mr. Miller chuckled. ‘Yeah, I think they’re kinda fed up of people saying that!’

But I stand by that comment. Over the course of just seven songs, Sons & Daughters unleash a stream of brilliance over the course of twenty five minutes. It’s an infectious, fiery mix of country and indie and just as incendiary live on stage as on record. I first saw Sons & Daughters live on a bill in York in 2003; headlined by Franz Ferdinand and also featuring Dogs Die In Hot Cars. I’ve seen them several times since, quite often on bills with other acts. It’s appropriate that one of the songs was entitled ‘Johnny Cash’ – the godfather of country casts his spell over the album. The interplay between vocalists Adele Bethel and Scott Paterson is mesmerising – you can feel almost voyeuristic just listening. And this album is addictive; like a vampire lover (though less harmful), once bitten, forever smitten.

And they have their own part to play in much of my own life over the last five years. The day this album was released in August 2004, they played an instore at Fopp, Edinburgh. I was DJing, for the first time in eight years. Scott in particular was very pleasant (especially after I leaned him my guitar strap!), and remembered me when I met him backstage a few months later at the Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh (the band were supporting the Fire Engines, and opening act were Aberfeldy). The DJing led to me starting to do my own occasional night in Edinburgh, originally called Fuck Art, Let’s Dance – and finally – 17 Seconds. Which led to the blog, and the record label…

Sons and Daughters -‘Johnny Cash.’ mp3