Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton - Knives Don't Have Your Back
by Sarah Maybank
published: 28 / 6 / 2007
Label:
Drowned In Sound
Format: CD
intro
Delicate and downbeat piano-based solo album from metric singer Emily Haines which doesn't really start going until its second half
We’ll give twenty quid and a slightly worn Free Paris Hilton T-shirt to anyone who can think of an artist less suited than Emily Haines to deck their album in the black and gilt livery of 'Abba Gold'. On second thoughts, we’re keeping the T-shirt because the simple answer is, even the north and south poles have less distance between them than Haines and the Volvo-outselling Swedes. Employing mainly voice and piano Haines has created something so delicate and downbeat it’ll have the terminally introspective clutching tear-soaked hankies before it even starts playing. And anyone even slightly thicker-skinned – The Beano’s Walter The Softy, say - pelting towards the nearest 'Ross Kemp On Gangs' box set for blessed relief. Metric chanteuse Haines wastes her warm, sweet voice during the first half of 'Knives..', letting it loll semi-melodically over the type of gentle piano noodling you hear in the background of TV documentaries about euthanasia. Things perk up when she discovers tempo in the second half, though, and drums and bass give the whole thing a bit of backbone. Give it a few listens and hooks gradually emerge like tentative sun rays behind a dark grey cloud, but we’re warning you, don’t be expecting to adapt your 'Dancing Queen' choreography for anything on 'Knives...' any time soon.
Track Listing:-
1 Our Hell2 Doctor Blind
3 Crowd Surf Off A Cliff
4 Detective Daughter
5 The Lottery
6 The Maid Needs A Maid
7 Mostly Waving
8 Reading In Bed
9 Nothing & Nowhere
10 The Last Page
11 Winning
most viewed articles
current edition
Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies - Sala Apolo, Barcelona, 29/11/2023 and La Paqui, Madrid, 30/11/2023Anthony Phillips - Interview
Difford and Tilbrook - Difford and Tilbrook
Rain Parade - Interview
Oldfield Youth Club - Interview
Autumn 1904 - Interview
Shaw's Trailer Park - Interview
Cafe No. 9, Sheffield and Grass Roots Venues - Comment
Pete Berwick - ‘Too Wild to Tame’: The story of the Boyzz:
Chris Hludzik - Vinyl Stories
most viewed reviews
current edition
Marika Hackman - Big SighSerious Sam Barrett - A Drop of the Morning Dew
Rod Stewart and Jools Holland - Swing Fever
Ian M Bailey - We Live in Strange Times
Loves - True Love: The Most of The Loves
Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the Run
Autumn 1904 - Tales of Innocence
Roberta Flack - Lost Takes
Banter - Heroes
Posey Hill - No Clear Place to Fall
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart