By Kevin Scott
Just two months after winning the Scottish Album of the Year for his sophomore release, RM Hubbert is back with a new album - Breaks and Bone. Unlike its predecessor, Thirteen Lost and Found, there is no focus on the collaborations that made that album stand out, and more on Hubby’s virtuoso guitar playing, and more prominently than ever before, his own vocals. While he’s chosen a more instrumental approach in the past (and there are instrumental tracks here - such as the opener ‘Son of Princess, Brother of Rambo’), the decision to use his own voice has placed him in the midst of the album; a secondary character to the one created with his fingertips and a fretboard.
Back to that opener for a moment though and Hubbert’s folk-infused flamenco guitar style is in full flow from the off. If you’ve ever wondered what the arrival of spring sounds like, then buy this album. The question is answered in the first minute. It’s a warm opening, and if a metaphor can be found in the hypnotic thumb picking, it’s that new beginnings serve not to replace the past but to transcend it. As the track progresses Hubbert’s skill as a guitarist becomes quickly evident with bass and lead parts rumbling along together. Put simply, it’s stunning - and achieves something that to this reviewer’s knowledge no other artist currently recording is doing; that is, to put a modern melody around this traditional guitar style that is virtually absent in contemporary music.
Second track, ‘Bolt’ introduces Hubbert’s vocal for the first time: "He broke your heart, you broke his jaw. At least you should have done", is the line that introduces us to the Scotsman’s softly accented voice. The dark lyrics, which run throughout the album, perfectly complement the melancholic mood of the guitar, and it provides an engaging accompaniment that allows the tone of the album to sway from comfort to conflict. The subject matter is deep too - ‘Bolt’ dealing with Hubbert’s depression, while other tracks cover the death of his parents ('Feedback Loops' and 'Slights').
Even the instrumental tracks seem to carry a heavy weight to them. Third track ‘Couch Crofting’s’ soulful guitar melody carries the listener, demanding full attention and eviscerating the outside world. The production by Paul Savage is fully respectful of Hubbert’s gift as a guitarist - with little embellishment present aside from a slight echo that in parts adds a haunting aspect. It really is bare bones stuff - the occasional electronic drone as way of a bass to add depth to some tracks is the only sound other than the guitar and vocal.
RM Hubbert is a unique talent, bravely forfeiting the accepted norm for an artist and creating a sound that is truly his own. It’s a wonderful thing, and a hugely fitting release to mark the 200th album by Glasgow’s Chemikal Underground Records, a label that has never been afraid to take risks.
"The trick’s not being happy, just content" sings Hubbert on ‘Tongue Tied & Tone Deaf’. Hopefully, with the release of a record that feels cathartic throughout, he’s found contentment. Buy it, listen to it and you too will find contentment. And if you make it through 'Slights' without letting go of at least one tear, you'll be doing well. Stunning stuff.
