Norrie McCulloch - Old Lovers Junkyard

by Benjamin Howarth

published: 15 / 9 / 2014

Label: Barne Society
Format: CD

Refreshingly unpretentious and solid debut album from Glaswegian singer-songwriter, Norrie McCulloch

Review

'Old Lovers Junkyard' had me from about five seconds in. After a single strummed acoustic guitar chord, when Angus Braid begins a winsome electric guitar solo (a little reminiscent of Richard Thompson). It's the kind of solo that often pops up at the very end of a song, and you wonder, “Why wasn't there more of that?” Still, it's a bold move to begin an album in such a way. It grabbed my attention immediately, and it also warned me – the front cover may say that 'Old Lovers Junkyard' is a solo album by a Mr. Norrie McCulloch, but what you can really expect is the product of a band. Also on hand are multi-instrumentalist Dave McGowan (best known for playing in recent Teenage Fanclub line-ups and as part of most of their side projects) and the two members of Glasgow power-pop band the Wellgreen, Stuart Kidd and Marco Rea, who form the rhythm section and also chip in with harmony vocals. McCulloch himself makes no effort to hide his broad Glasgow accent. Generally, his voice is pitched somewhere between a murmur and a hum, but when his band are letting go underneath him, he is more than capable of raising his voice to match. There is a twang to his phrasing that reminds me of Glen Hansard, and that is not the only thing the pair have in common. McCulloch is, like Hansard, a natural collaborator – specialising in a loose, open style of songwriting that leaves plenty of space for bandmates to add their own flavour to a song. Standout moments include 'Too Far Gone', a short message to a lost father; 'The Robin', a sweet country-tinged pop ballad that could easily pass for our old friend, “trad arr”, but is in fact an original composition and the aforementioned opening track “Call Me Home”, complete with that shiver-inducing guitar solo. Best of all, though, is the closing track, “Still Looking for You”, a porchlight singalong on which the harmonica last seen when Neil Young cut 'Harvest Moon' suddenly makes a welcome reappearance. Before deciding to release his debut full-length under his own name, McCulloch had already released a handful of songs under the 'Fireside Sessions' moniker. It is a bit of a shame he hasn't kept that up, as it is the perfect image for this album. Listening to the music, you can't help but imagine a dusty old barn, and a bunch of friends, trading solos and singing along. It all makes for a warm, comforting listening experience. None of this is especially radical. If I had the chance to browse through McCulloch's record collection, I'd expect to find well thumbed copies of 'Harvest', 'Moondance', 'The Basement Tapes' and 'Return of the Grievous Angel'. But that is precisely the point – 'Old Lovers Junkyard' is refreshingly gimmick-free.

Track Listing:-

1 Call Me Home
2 Branded
3 Wrong
4 Helen
5 Hardline
6 Rex
7 Old Lovers Junkyard
8 Too Far Gone
9 Northwest Winter
10 The Robin
11 Losing Hand
12 Still Looking for You