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Rating: In the bubbling cauldron of the so-called independent music, Sons And Daughters were a small and pleasant discovery for me.
For those unfamiliar with the musical offering of these four young Scots, know that their production is characterized by sustained and folkish rhythms, but played with a decidedly Punk attitude. Punchy guitars and a solid bass are the trademarks of the group's sound, along with an intertwining of female (predominant) and male vocals that nod heavily to the Psychedelic pop of the Sixties (the name of the band should be grandiloquent in this sense).
They debuted with a very short and fun album -Love the Cup- that heavily drew from other Folk Punk entities, first and foremost the Violent Femmes. The second effort, titled The Repulsion Box, despite its brevity, proved to be a great album, catchy and compact, almost reassuring in how it faintly reminded one of the early works of the Patti Smith Group.
Compact indeed.
Perhaps too much.
If one chooses to critique The Repulsion Box, it must focus on a certain monotony in the structure of the songs. Additionally, that little firecracker Adele Bethel didn't make much of an effort to vary her vocal tone, resulting in all the tracks inevitably sounding alike, approached as they were with uniform anger and energy. Saving the day was a splendid and Morricone-esque "Rama Lama" performed by the masculine voice of Scott Paterson, which almost completely diverged from the album's offering.
This Gift attempts to fill the gaps of its predecessor: definitively distancing (unfortunately?) the specter of the Femmes, Sons and Daughters achieve a full and characteristic sound, the songs are more varied and irresistibly catchy, the vocal performances finally cease to be monotonous and are enriched with nuances and personality, without losing an ounce of their grit.
It's hard to find a track superior to the others: This Gift suffers from "Paranoid syndrome", and very much resembles an effective collection of singles.
Recommended album. Even if the genre does not fall within your usual listening habits, give it a chance: it might surprise you.
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Gilt Complex (03:38)
She has a gilt complex
Break her neck
Now she's run-run-running right over the edge
Had a gilt complex
Poison pen
She's signing her name and she's forgetting her friends
Had a gilt complex
Break her neck
Now she worry-worry-worries for the good of her wealth
This gilt complex
Useless effect
Now she suffer-suffer-suffers, destroying her health
He has a gilt complex
Break his neck
Now he's run-run-running right over the edge
Had a gilt complex
Poison pen
Signing his name
Forgetting his friends
Had a gilt complex
Break his neck
Now he worry-worry-worries for the good of his wealth
This gilt complex
Useless effect
Now he suffer-suffer-suffers destroying himself
All you see is all you'll get
He's trying to buy some kind of medal
He's not sure of all he has but
Avarice is all that he's made of
And everybody knows
She has a gilt complex
Break her neck
Now she's run-run-running right over the edge
Gilt complex
Poison pen
She's signing her name and she's forgetting her friends
Had a gilt complex
Break her neck
Now she worry-worry-worries for the good of her wealth
This gilt complex
Useless effect
Now she suffer-suffer-suffers, destroying herself
All you see is all you'll get
She's trying to buy some kind of medal
She's not sure of all she has but
Avarice is all that she's made of
And everybody knows
Ooh...
What you see is what you'll get
The star, you see, is just made of metal
He's not sure of all he has
But avarice is all that he's made of
And everybody knows
07 Darling (03:21)
Gonna find it hard to sleep through it all
This rain veil's gonna fall
Walk behind him, sweet duress
Try to conduct yourself
Behind royal walls, blacked out eyes
A solitary bird, high tension line
Dreaming of a pure white sky
Did somebody stop time?
(Twisting in...)
Twisting in, twisting out the knife
(Paying for...)
Paying for your past crime
(She'll make...)
She'll make a darling bride
Reached in, pulled out your life
Is this what you get in amoral times?
Used to burn, now no fire of life
Settle for the riches to be fed
Deliver to the valley of the bed
(Twisting in...)
Twisting in, twisting out the knife
(Paying for...)
Paying for your past crime
(She'll make...)
She'll make a darling bride
Reached in, pulled out your life
Living's so dangerous
Try to conduct yourself
Remember what your mother said
Try and use your heart, not head
(Twisting in...)
Twisting in, twisting out the knife
(Paying for...)
Paying for your past crime
(She'll make...)
She'll make a darling bride
Reached in, pulled out your life
(In...)
Twisting in, twisting out the knife
(Paying for...)
Paying for your past crime
(She'll make...)
She'll make a darling bride
Reached in, pulled out your life
Twisting in, twisting out the knife
Paying for your past crime
She'll make a darling bride
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