Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
And everybody knows, 5 Feb 2008
It took Sons and Daughters two years to craft their sophomore album, after the gloriously unique Scottish folk-rock of "The Repulsion Box."
And those two years have not dulled their musical skills, or the fiery vibrancy of their music. With lots of stylistic variety, but the same rough-edged rock'n'roll sound, "This Gift" is the musical equivalent of a nighttime joyride in a city lit by its own colours -- it's fast, tight, exhilarating and a little wild.
Blistering riffs. Racing basslines. Thumping drums. "She has a gilt complex/break her neck/now she's run, run, runnin' right over the edge!" Adele Bethel murmurs. She rattles through a breakneck melody full of disgust for greed -- "... all you see is what you'll get/he's trying to buy some kind of measure/he's not sure of all he has/but avarice is all that he's made of... and everybody knows!"
They relax a little with the next couple songs -- "Split Lips" is a smooth piece of guitar-pop, but with a piano-wire edge to the catchy acoustics. And "The Nest" goes all out into... motown. The sound is a little off-kilter, and Bethel starts off on shaky ground with her spoken-word lyrics, but it gains more power after she hits the chorus.
And from there, they stick to their rough-edged form -- but they try out all sorts of music. Most of them are either tight, rollicking Celtic-flavoured rockers, or fast-paced guitarpop with stomping percussions and rough riffs, like the blistering wails of "House in My Head." And they take a brief time out for "The Bell," a relatively refined pop song with lots of smoothly cycling guitars.
Sons and Daughters have called this their "pop album" -- but apparently that just means that it's catchy and danceable even in their harder songs like "Rebel with the Ghost." It hasn't got a shred of the slick, bland sound that you usually associate with pop music -- it's all tight melodies, rough edges and impassioned vocals from Bethel.
Nope, they've upped the tempo without changing their sound -- thumping/stomping drums, blazing electric guitar riffs and a few low-key acoustic ones, and muscular basslines burning just underneath. And there's a rough, fiery edge to every song, filling it with energy that is all rock'n'roll -- think their last album, but catchier and more accomplished.
And that muscular sound is only enhanced by Adele Bethel's voice -- she has a very pretty, clear, girlish voice. So she sings like a rocker ("so I rebel with the ghost/try to fight but my hands and feet are fading/holding onto the wall"), whether it's a "wa-oo-ah-oo!" yowl, blazing calls, or a throaty snarl (... and everybody KNOWS!").
If their first album was a smoky pub filled with dancing, then Sons and Daughters' sophomore album "This Gift" is a wild drive through the night. A brilliant follow-up, and a wonderful rock album.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Do not return to sender..., 3 Feb 2008
This is a fantastic cd, with all the tunes and spark you could possibly want. Admittedly it's lusher and smoother than The Repulsion Box and Love the Cup but the added production extras courtesy of Bernard Butler have added to rather than subtracted from Sons & Daughters aggressive rama-lama rock n roll.
Oh, and why are Adele Berthel's vocals so underrated? She's the best rock n roll singer in the UK at the moment. This is truly a Gift you won't want to return.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gift of music, 17 Feb 2008
It took Sons and Daughters two years to craft their sophomore album, after the gloriously unique Scottish folk-rock of "The Repulsion Box."
And those two years have not dulled their musical skills, or the fiery vibrancy of their music. With lots of stylistic variety, but the same rough-edged rock'n'roll sound, "This Gift" is the musical equivalent of a nighttime joyride in a city lit by its own colours -- it's fast, tight, exhilarating and a little wild.
Blistering riffs. Racing basslines. Thumping drums. "She has a gilt complex/break her neck/now she's run, run, runnin' right over the edge!" Adele Bethel murmurs. She rattles through a breakneck melody full of disgust for greed -- "... all you see is what you'll get/he's trying to buy some kind of measure/he's not sure of all he has/but avarice is all that he's made of... and everybody knows!"
They relax a little with the next couple songs -- "Split Lips" is a smooth piece of guitar-pop, but with a piano-wire edge to the catchy acoustics. And "The Nest" goes all out into... motown. The sound is a little off-kilter, and Bethel starts off on shaky ground with her spoken-word lyrics, but it gains more power after she hits the chorus.
And from there, they stick to their rough-edged form -- but they try out all sorts of music. Most of them are either tight, rollicking Celtic-flavoured rockers, or fast-paced guitarpop with stomping percussions and rough riffs, like the blistering wails of "House in My Head." And they take a brief time out for "The Bell," a relatively refined pop song with lots of smoothly cycling guitars.
Sons and Daughters have called this their "pop album" -- but apparently that just means that it's catchy and danceable even in their harder songs like "Rebel with the Ghost." It hasn't got a shred of the slick, bland sound that you usually associate with pop music -- it's all tight melodies, rough edges and impassioned vocals from Bethel.
Nope, they've upped the tempo without changing their sound -- thumping/stomping drums, blazing electric guitar riffs and a few low-key acoustic ones, and muscular basslines burning just underneath. And there's a rough, fiery edge to every song, filling it with energy that is all rock'n'roll -- and though the folkier rhythms are less prominent, you can still hear them in songs like "Chains" and the swirling title track.
And that muscular sound is only enhanced by Adele Bethel's voice -- she has a very pretty, clear, strong voice. And she uses those vocals like another rock instrument ("I rebel with the ghost/try to fight but my hands and feet are fading/holding onto the wall"), whether it's a "wa-oo-ah-oo!" yowl, blazing calls, or a throaty snarl (... open wide, draw the walls!").
If their first album was a smoky pub filled with dancing, then Sons and Daughters' sophomore album "This Gift" is a wild drive through the night. A brilliant follow-up, and a wonderful rock album.
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