If the first shortlist for the new Scottish Album of the Year award contains a good cluster of worthy winners, it is already looking as if the second year could be even stronger.
Snowgoose contains some well-known West of Scotland names in guitarist and principal songwriter Jim McCulloch, bassist Dave McGowan, drummer Stuart Kidd and the guitar and production skills of Raymond McGinley, and one hitherto unknown one in vocalist Anna Sheard. Her contribution is crucial, because that voice has a classic sound straight from the glory days of 1960s folk rock – and, as some of these recordings were apparently done in one take, she knows how to use it.
McCulloch has supplied her with a set of fine songs, some written from a female perspective, and all given arrangements that could easily come from a much earlier era, with John McCusker's fiddle, Dave McCluskey's hammered dulcimer and McCulloch's own clarinet adding colours.
The title track might be the band's theme song while I Will Wait For You and Hazy Lane are both case studies in the virtue of doing simple things well.
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