Enigmatic, Americana debut album
Released via Olive Grove on March 7th, this is the self-titled debut album from the elusive and enigmatic The Son(s). Preferring to maintain a sense of anonymity the only details we know are from their press release. We know that they 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 and wrote and recorded these songs.
This could, and knowing the mainstream press probably will, lead to much speculation about the personae behind the music to the detriment of the music itself which would be a crying shame. This is eleven tracks of strong storytelling with a sound oozing Americana guitars and the odd Beach Boysesque harmony. It's a slow burning album that takes its time to grab hold of you. It took a couple of listens but each time something new leapt out to my ear and I moved a little further in my growing appreciation of what has been presented with this album.
'Dogs, Boys & Men' is a 'sit up and pay attention' rocking start to the album which carries on into 'Sonny, You'll Never Get that Ride'. After that the other tracks let you sit back as they descend down to a relaxing tempo reminiscent of hazy, lazy summer evenings. With dreamy vocal harmonies and excellent storytelling this really is a lovely album of obvious quality which offers great promise for future releases.