It's not often a reviewer plays a record and hears his own words thrust back at him.
But something sounds familiar on the Chase Yirsel EP by Edinburgh hip-hop ensemble Stanley Odd. "'Voice of a generation' - that quote would've felt better/if we could equate the praise with some ways to sell records," says emcee Solareye and, okay, I may have been guilty of that one when bigging up the rapper's political insight and placing their album Reject at No 4 in my Top 50 Scottish Albums of 2012.
The new four-track EP (released through A Modern Way Records) takes their story further. Did Yi Hear? is a five-minute catch-up on the band's progress in the past couple of years, which also included a SAY award nomination for Reject ("CDs in HMV, lifetime ambition achieved/but the death of the high street made it kind of bittersweet"); Chase Yirsel spanks the backside of a funky blues workout while Establishment and Let Ma Brain Breathe slow the beat down and twist the music to artistic angles.
So, is this still "voice of a generation"? Yes, I stand by that because here Solareye is again, firing out wit and wisdom at nail-gun velocity and tackling head-on the need to vote on September 18. This is music that speaks directly from where Scotland is, right here, right now in 2014. The same can't be said for Harry And The Hendersons. There's something of the novelty act, or perhaps a troupe that might pitch up in a Coen brothers' period movie, about I Robbed A Bank, the lead track on their debut EP (released on the student-run Electric Honey label).
Harmonies are the be-all and end-all here and, to be fair, they are gloriously tight right across this five-song set. But melodies fall into a distinct second place, even when things are at their most pretty and pleasant. The laidback balance between country-folk strum and horn section support is carried off well, if you're looking for somewhere warm and comfy to rest your ears.
Also harking back, but to a more recent musical past, is the Junk EP by Tuff Love. This three-piece, signed to Lost Map, push their entwined female vocals down beneath guitars that jangle and buzz. The Breeders are an obvious reference point, as are a legion of fondly remembered UK post-C86 darlings such as The Shop Assistants and Talulah Gosh. Pop wins out at the end of day, with the songs Sweet Discontent and Flamingo as catchy as anything you'll hear this year.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article