*I should apologise for any “k” related typos, the k key on my laptop seems to have something wrong and I’m too tired to try and just pull it off.*
The latest offering from Olive Grove Records is the debut album from The Son(s), a folk/alternative outfit from Glasgow. As for the name, I can only postulate that the band members are not fully aware of how many are officially in the group. They must be very confused. The overall impression is an amalgamation of Fleet Foxes and The Invisible; a mix of the heartfelt mysticism of the former and the rising, dazing rock of the latter.
The vocals, in particular, are reminiscent of The Invisible’s self titled album; though The Son(s) play with a feel and volition all of their own. The album comes across as complete, polished and calculated; in particular the standout tracks are Dogs, Boys and Men, There Is A Hole In The Ocean and Radar. I, and indeed nobody seems to know, anything about the band itself. All there is on OGR’s site is this tabular, mysterious text:
“The Son(s) were three men in a band, in Edinburgh.
One Son went to London, and made his fortune in the movies.
Another Son went to Oxford and lives in a small commune there.
The last Son eventually went back to the North East of Scotland to write and record these songs.”
I probably shouldn’t mock – it’d just be my luck that the “last son” turns out to be the Second Coming.
Rating: DDD1/2
