ADMIRAL FALLOW - The Idea Of You

The new Admiral Fallow album sat in a drawer for two years; all things considered, frontman Louis Abbott has always distinguished himself less for prolific songwriting than for a measured, skilful and understated approach to the art of pop songwriting.

The fourth album from the Glasgow band, “➪The Idea Of You➫”, brings no changes to the line-up, just a slight stylistic shift away from the indie-folk of their early days: less King Creosote and more Deacon Blue, then, but still proudly and dignifiedly Scottish.

A heavier use of horns, a rhythm section that brushes up against soul and the Philly sound, and an intriguing, bittersweet romanticism: these are the coordinates on which the nine tracks of the Scottish band's new album unfold. Following in the footsteps of the band's more elaborate and sophisticated songs comes the forceful “The Grand National, 1993”, a perfect synthesis of the enveloping arrangements and polished songwriting that have always set Admiral Fallow apart, to the point of evoking the inspired touch of Paddy McAloon.

For Louis Abbott, dispensing skilful harmonic weaves and lyrical intrigue comes naturally, almost effortlessly. Refined pieces like “Sleepwalking” are indeed his daily bread, whereas tracks like “Tuesday Grey” represent a challenge, a foray into American pop-rock with all the hallmarks of the perfect soundtrack for a noir-tinged TV series.

In the more folk-pop-tinged tracks (“Dragonfly”, “The Possibility”), those more naive rhythmic/harmonic geometries dispensed in the band's biggest singles (“Evangeline”, for instance) come back into play, though without matching their impact.

Elsewhere, the more soulful nature of the new compositions is palpable, starting with the steelydanian “Electric Eyes”, moving through the Delgados-like quirks of “Three Weeks” and the soul-noir echoes of Blue Nile in the tender “Night, Shortly”, right through to the chamber-folk finale of “Soliton”, which stays true to Louis Abbott's at times eccentric, beguiling sensibility.

Without any fanfare, but with intelligence and inventiveness, Admiral Fallow once again live up to their reputation as elegant standard-bearers of Scottish pop.

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28/11/2021