Peggy Sue – Fossils and Other Phantoms (Wichita)
4/5
By: Tim Dellow
I
n a scene that’s fast attracting bandwagon jumpers (I hear even Bombay Bicycle Club are going folk!?) Peggy Sue have long been a tent-pole act in the marquee of songwriters who are traditionally influenced yet refreshingly free from artifice.
Influenced by everyone from chain gang singers to Lauren Hill, Rosa and Katy’s (not Peggy or Sue's) vocals have always melded perfectly, a soulful Jazz growl backed up uniquely with riot grrrl attitude and a canny knack to combine literary and filmic references with brutally raw personal experiences in as fluent a fashion as prime-era Belle and Sebastian.
Having released over a number of years two stunning EPs (both still available on iTunes I believe) and a plethora of 7”s and self released CDRs, the band had a wealth of material to choose from for their long awaited debut album proper, though controversially decided to start the record from scratch, attempting to create an album in the traditional sense of the word – as a whole; a collection of songs that are from, and exist within the same space. A noble idea, if one slightly undermined by the number of producers and sessions that made up the album, with each bringing a different colour or texture to the release.
However, once you get over the fact that there’s nothing as instant as ‘Eisenstein’ or ‘The Sea, The Sea’ from the last EP, you can settle into an album that gives up its bounty over time.
The album opens with a section produced by John Askew (of the Dodos) with ‘Long Division Blues’, an understated yet enchanting musical game of patty cake that leads into the fabulous ‘Yo Mama’, a brilliant attempt to erase the memory of a recent lover and acute definer of their sound – lyrically, vocally and accordingly the accordion.
The next section of the album is ushered in with ‘Watchmen’, the lead single, produced by Steve Ansell (of Blood Red Shoes) who brings out the PJ Harvey elements of their songs over the next two tracks, channelling the energies of recent full time member Olly Joyce’s percussion into a glorious pattern of grungy folk which allows the vocals to emote to full effect.
Other songs reveal the influence of their collaborators a little too strongly, ‘Careless Talk Costs Lives’ could be Jeffrey Lewis (if he could sing) whilst the Ben Lovett (of Mumford And Sons) produced ‘February Snow’ is exactly the kind of banjo lead stomper you’d expect. However, the unique meld of voices and the worldview of the lyrics will always set them apart (and ahead) of the pack.
Standout track ‘The Remainder’, produced by Alex Newport (of Two Gallants) typifies the delicately surprising arrangement of these songs, revealing itself over its course both subtly and seductively, leading to an emotional climax which maintains its effect over numerous listens. The sophistication demonstrated here shows that despite the pretenders Peggy Sue are an oddity in a league of their own; an exceptional band to fall in love with over and over.
Artists in this article: Peggy Sue
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