Scout's report
Released as a primer for a forthcoming Steve Albini produced album due sometime later this year the "Just Do It / Dinosaur Egg E.P." highlights the reasons why Scout Niblett is held in such high regard within indie circles. The sinister sounding "Just Do It" opens with the kind of distorted grunge-y guitars Dinosaur Jr's J. Mascis would be proud of before the volume is turned down to barely a whisper. A hypnotic seven minutes of minimal finger picked guitar follows, the song shaped by Scout's doleful vocal which is slightly less pronounced than usual but no less powerful (particularly when double tracked). "Dinosaur Egg" - the other half of the double 'A' side - is similarly sparse and bares a passing resemblance to Joanna Newsome (vocally) while adding a bit of light to the shade of the lead-off track.
Recorded at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis this E.P. won't be to all tastes (there's not a great deal of instrumentation and catchy choruses don't abound) but it certainly packs an emotional clout. The main strength of Scout Niblett's music is its ability to transport you away to a place where you are sheltered in blissful isolation and on those terms alone this E.P. is an undoubted success.