Song, by Toad

I spend plenty of time prattling on about the health of the current Edinburgh music scene, but that has a lot to do with the fact that it tends to be underrated by pretty much everyone.  In defending Edinburgh, of course, I seem to have ended up somewhat neglecting Glasgow although I suppose that’s slightly inevitable coming from an unheralded cousin.

Anyhow, time to put that right: have a listen to Sparrow & the Workshop.  At time this is brilliant if you ask me; a cross between twee-pop and slightly scruffy stuff that flirts with both rockabilly and dirty blues.  And Jill O’Sullivan’s voice is an absolute bloody treat.  If I were to dig out a criticism it would be that just occasionally the songs can be a little bit one-paced, but for the most part this is truly lovely.

Songs like The Gun could have issued from Monkey Swallows the Universe, whereas there are times on MyCrime when the slow, oppressive beat could come from a Smog song, although that is dispelled the second Miss O’Sullivan’s lovely vocal makes an appearance.  She’s got just a touch of the Natalie Merchants about her at times actually, although much more tremulous and uncertain and with none of that dingy MOR sludge to which Miss Merchant was prone.

Percussion is pretty strong in this music as well.  I guess when you have such a skeleton band, one of whom is a drummer, then that’s kind of inevitable, but it keeps the music feeling faintly primal.  It’s not shiny pop music this, by any means.  For me the only question is whether or not they have the ability to maintain the necessary variation in their songwriting, but after only five songs that’s hard to tell.  I await future developments with excitement.

Sparrow & the Workshop – Grizzly Bear
Sparrow & the Workshop – Giant