Sons and Daughters – This Gift

 

Sons and Daughters make a wholesome Scottish racket, but if anything this is a slightly more commercial offering than either ‘Repulsion Box’ or ‘Love the Cup’. That’s not necessarily a negative thing and this is easily their most consistent album to date. They seem to have lost the dual female vocals that counterbalanced the Scottish male drawl in a similar way to the B52’s, however the trademark Scottish aggressive shoutiness is still at the forefront.

This is music for everyday application. It’s the soundtrack of the kitchen sink drama of northern life. Whether you’re dropping the kids off, washing up or cutting the lawn. ‘This Gift’ is the perfect accompaniment to all that boredom. It will enrich your life and make you feel just a little happier.

All the songs are essentially winners, as Sons and Daughters have rarely made a duffer, but worthy of special mention are the howling competition of ‘This Gift’, the remake of the Banana Splits theme in ‘Rebel with the Ghost’ and the straightforward chugging of ‘Flags’. My favourite is the opening track ‘Gilt Complex’ which harks back to the earlier LP’s but adds the steel of stronger song writing.

A quality, solid album from the Scottish northcore merchants. Like toilet paper, cereal bars and marmite, it’s something you shouldn’t have to live without.