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Product Description
Review
There's a restlessness amongst Scotland's indie-folk artists of late. The Pictish Trail (aka Johnny Lynch) has shacked up with London alt-folkster Adem for the 80s-referencing dance dynamics of Silver Columns; Lynch's Fence Collective co-founder, King Creosote, recently collaborated with Edinburgh's Meursault and Brighton's Animal Magic Tricks on the Cold Seeds album. And now Creosote, real name Kenny Anderson, has emerged again as a member of The Burns Unit, a supergroup of sorts also featuring ex-Delgado Emma Pollock, Karine Polwart, Sushil Dade/Future Pilot A.K.A. and more. But while these relationships may seem rather incestuous, there's no doubt that the system's getting results.
The Burns Unit is a more complete, slick-sounding offering than KC's Cold Seeds. Whereas that record, released in July, was a largely improvised affair, Side Show will slip nicely beside those old Delgados records you don't play nearly enough. It's supremely polished of first impression, but also offers a far deeper experience than collaborative albums of its kind typically do. This stems from the detail in the songs contained–though several players appear throughout, half of these tracks are written by just a pair of musicians, really opening up each piece's heart. The exceptions are usually more rambunctious and loose of feel, all eight members lending input to the toe-tapping Send Them Kids to War–the track is one of three to feature MC Soom T, who's previously worked with The Orb and Asian Dub Foundation.
While Side Show's tracks are varied of style, the boisterous often bookended by arrangements of tender emoting, drummer Mattie Foulds' production keeps every potentially distracting diversion in check with a mix (done at Chem 19, alongside celebrated producer Paul Savage) that allows highlights to shine but never detract from the enjoyment of this album as a whole. Consistency, it seems, is paramount, and while The Burns Unit's members don't quite chip in evenly, everybody's contributions are given the space they need to sing out from these never-cluttered compositions. Worthy of singling out, though, are a couple of real show-stoppers: Future Pilot A.K.C., which sees Anderson and Dade weave a tapestry of engrossing melancholy, and the Pollock-fronted You Need Me to Need This (written with Skydiggers' Michael Johnson), perhaps the most perplexingly beautiful-yet-bombastic number she's sung on since the days of The Great Eastern.
Excellently conceived, brilliantly executed and splendidly presented, Side Show is a little wonder that's considerably more than the sum of its admittedly excellent parts. Fingers crossed that its makers turn their occasional live performances into a proper tour, soon.
--Mike DiverFind more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
THE SKINNY
"A supergroup that manages to be more than the sum of its parts"
"A dizzyingly wide spectrum of influences, yet with a sharpness of focus throughout."
"A dizzyingly wide spectrum of influences, yet with a sharpness of focus throughout."
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I have been waiting for this album for a considerable period of time.. having seen them live twice in Glasgow over the last few years, I've had to make do with faded memories and scratchy demo recordings, almost to the point where I wondered: did I really see them, or was it all just the dream of a mind yearning for something other than well pruned indie boys with guitars?
A predominantly Scottish super-group ala new pornographers and the likes (yes, they even have a melodica-wielding Canadian in their fold), The Burns Unit features an eclectic mix of performers coming together to try their hand at creating something even greater than the sum of its parts. And that's no slight on the parts, as they range from more established names (like Emma Pollock of The Delgados fame), to more folksy oriented up-and-coming types (King Creosote, Kim Edgar, Katrine Polwart), to a bit of political activism and rap (Soom T), to some aforementioned melodica wielding Canadian creativity (Michael Johnson), even finding space somewhere to fit in some pop-laden bass and a smidgen of Canadian drums (Future Pilot AKA and Mattie Foulds).
There are no bit parts in this performance either; every vocalist steps up to offer something thoroughly unique, whilst the group are also outstanding instrumentalists, leading to some wonderful lyrical collaborations and musical combinations.
I may be slightly biased, as I've been looking forward to this album for a disturbingly long time, but it's a must buy for me, and i hope it's the first of many!
A predominantly Scottish super-group ala new pornographers and the likes (yes, they even have a melodica-wielding Canadian in their fold), The Burns Unit features an eclectic mix of performers coming together to try their hand at creating something even greater than the sum of its parts. And that's no slight on the parts, as they range from more established names (like Emma Pollock of The Delgados fame), to more folksy oriented up-and-coming types (King Creosote, Kim Edgar, Katrine Polwart), to a bit of political activism and rap (Soom T), to some aforementioned melodica wielding Canadian creativity (Michael Johnson), even finding space somewhere to fit in some pop-laden bass and a smidgen of Canadian drums (Future Pilot AKA and Mattie Foulds).
There are no bit parts in this performance either; every vocalist steps up to offer something thoroughly unique, whilst the group are also outstanding instrumentalists, leading to some wonderful lyrical collaborations and musical combinations.
I may be slightly biased, as I've been looking forward to this album for a disturbingly long time, but it's a must buy for me, and i hope it's the first of many!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is a collaboration between Scottish & Canadian singer, songwriter, musicians who all do very nicely in there own right or as part of other bands. I read about the project in a Sunday upplement and went to see them live based on that. Really enjoyed the performance and bought the album based on that. A mixture of styles and influences with some great vocalists and musicians fusing together. Folk, rock, Indie and rap combine in a series of songs written by the performers in collaboration. They have written some great songs and I will probably listen to some albums by the individuals that I had heard of but not paid much attention to
now that I have heard them on this.
Worth a few quid for somethinh unique and unusual.
now that I have heard them on this.
Worth a few quid for somethinh unique and unusual.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
If all the Burns Unit album achieves is to get people to seek out the wonders which flow from the East Nuek musical community that is the Fence Collective, particularly King Creosote (Kenny Anderson) and his wonderful 2007 album "Bombshell" it will marginally raise the totality of human enjoyment. But to add to the delirium what we have in "Side Show" is the product of excellent troupe of musicians who make up a modest Scottish supergroup which also includes Emma Pollock from the minor miracle that was the Delegados. Thus if you were to check out the single "Trouble" which is destined to be a minor pop classic you will hear echoes of those old reprobates once more. But this album is not about the reproduction of past glories. "Sorrys" is gentle almost lullaby song and its ramshackle style is genuinely lovely. "Since we have fallin out" is one of those great Kenny Anderson accordion driven bitter sweet love songs where you can almost smell the sea and salt from a small Scottish cove.
Considerably more angry is the anti war song "Send them kids to war" which starts off with a rattling percussive chant and almost an Indian vocal style. Its a great highlight and shows some intelligent musical minds at work. Finally "Blood Ice and Ashes starts as a very haunting piano ballad somewhat reminiscent of a Damien Rice song and achingly beautiful, but powers up to a huge conclusion.
With a fair number of musicians on "Side Show" who are all very decent artists in there own right the danger was of this album pulling in all sorts of directions and lacking coherence. I'm happy to report that this is not the case and indeed while its title might be "Side show" this excellent collective deserve to be right at the front of the main stage.
Considerably more angry is the anti war song "Send them kids to war" which starts off with a rattling percussive chant and almost an Indian vocal style. Its a great highlight and shows some intelligent musical minds at work. Finally "Blood Ice and Ashes starts as a very haunting piano ballad somewhat reminiscent of a Damien Rice song and achingly beautiful, but powers up to a huge conclusion.
With a fair number of musicians on "Side Show" who are all very decent artists in there own right the danger was of this album pulling in all sorts of directions and lacking coherence. I'm happy to report that this is not the case and indeed while its title might be "Side show" this excellent collective deserve to be right at the front of the main stage.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Brilliant contemporary folk music
No jigs, no fiddles, no 8 minute ballads; this album is pure stripped down songs of emotion and beauty featuring great vocal, rhythmical and musical dexterity. Read more
Published 5 months ago by The A
more please
An excellent debut album from scottish supergroup, all solo artists or members of excellent local bands, weaving together folk, dub, and eastern influences in a mixture that works. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Captain Kirk
BURNS UNIT - Side Show
Bitter recrimination is the order of the day particularly on the opening track "Since We've Fallen Out" on this, The Burns Unit's (Emma Pollock, Future Pilot A.K. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Pete Fyfe
Come on, Be Honest
There are indeed some great talents in this group - I don't know of a weak link amongst them.Of those songwriters or arrangers here that I know, there also some excellent talents. Read more
Published 9 months ago by tucholsky
Leicester Bangs Review (2010):
The Burns Unit - Side Show (Independent)
I was lucky enough to see these at Cambridge Folk Festival this year and I was mightily impressed. On record they're just as good. Read more
I was lucky enough to see these at Cambridge Folk Festival this year and I was mightily impressed. On record they're just as good. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Leicester Bangs
Great lyrics, great musicianship, great album.
Been a fan of King Creosote for a while now, and this album mixes him with other great musicians and voices. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Surfer Rosa
Great Set at Cambridge Folk Festival, too!!
Not a review of the album as such - just an endorsement of then band, who played a superb live set today (Sat 31st July 2010) at The Cambridge Folk Festival. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Heebablob
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