published: 8 /
6 /
2011
Label:
Domino Records
Format: CD
Bleak and introspective, yet rewarding latest album from Scottish band, Sons and Daughters
Review
Back in 2008, Sons & Daughters strutted into the daylight. The all-engulfing darkness surrounding 2004's mini album 'Love The Cup' and 2006's 'The Repulsion Box' dissipated and their second full length- album, 'This Gift', a punk-pop-Motown tribute to swinging 60's cinema, fizzed with energy. Like a Hollywood A-lister who abruptly tires of the red carpet and paparazzi flashbulbs and retreats to an isolated mansion, 'Mirror Mirror', however, does an abrupt 180 degree turn and dives straight back into the shadows.
This is no Miss Haversham-style retreat into the past though. Glowering and claustrophobic, the album takes as its inspiration fairytales, witchcraft, murdered Hollywood starlets and suicidal fashion models, but while the subject matter is typically bleak, Sons and Daughters have grown.
Pulsing synths form the backbone of tracks like standout opener 'Silver Spell', and the introspective 'Bee Song'. Tracks like the meandering 'Ink Free' and the rocking 'Don't Look Now' are assured enough to take their time, without feeling for a moment like they're outstaying their welcome. While Sons and Daughters' earlier work enthralled with its Travis Bickle explosions of energy, 'Mirror Mirror' takes a more introspective route and quivers with artfully suppressed tension.
In a world of throwaway pop and one track wonders, it demands your time and attention – but it'll more than reward you for your trouble.
Track Listing:-
1
Silver Spell
2
The Model
3
Breaking Fun
4
Orion
5
Don't Look Now
6
Ink Free
7
Rose Red
8
Axed Actor
9
Bee Song
10
The Beach
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