More singular and disarming beauty from the unlikely musical hotbed of Fife. James Yorkston started out as a member of the prolific and sprawling Fence Collective but this, his third album, possesses a hushed and elusive beauty that edges him away from his folkish origins and towards the ineffable and delicate fragility which characterises the likes of Talk Talk’s ‘Spirit Of Eden’ and Beth Gibbons’ ‘Out Of Season’. It’s telling, then, that Paul ‘Rustin Man’ Webb – Talk Talk’s bassist and the producer of ‘Out Of Season’ – is also involved here. Certainly, Yorkston’s subtle, ruminative songs and Webb’s weightless, spare production are a perfect match.
This isn’t a combination that was ever destined to produce any big statements. Instead, there’s a cumulative power within the album’s gently propulsive rhythms, electronic pulses and sensitively employed array of guitars, violins, concertinas and clarinets. This expanded musical palate acts as a perfect counterpoint to Yorkston’s melancholic but wry musings on time, love and alcohol. A familiar set of preoccupations for sure, but Yorkston’s a sure-footed and perceptive lyricist, surveying the mundanity of life and finding revelation and sadness in equal measures. A significant step forward and highly recommended.
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