(((O))) : Withered Hand – New Gods

On his debut album Good News' Scottish singer-songwriter Dan Willson introduced us to his Withered Hand persona with a collection of irrelevant folk meditations on love in its many guises, good and bad. The general narrative of follow up New Gods is similar, and equally satisfying. And almost an anagram of its predecessor - make of that what you will. There's plenty of humour on the cover too - a monochrome shot of Willson looking utterly pained, his name and the album title borrowing the iconic font used by Nirvana.

Willson came to the game late, reaching 30 before beginning work on what would eventually become Good News. The success of that album led to a grant from Scottish arts body Creative Scotland to make the follow up, which was produced by the legendary Tony Doogan and features guest appearances by King Creosote, Eugene Kelly (The Vaselines), members of Belle & Sebastian, and Scott Hutchison (Frightened Rabbit).

On paper, the album looks impressive, so it's satisfying to hear Willson deliver a carefully constructed, sensitively produced album, which is fuelled by black humour and minor chord melodies.

Opener 'Horseshoe' almost immediately illustrates the benefits of Doogan's production; from the opening guitar strum to verse to introduction of the rhythm section, it is clean and polished, allowing Willson's distinctive high-pitched vocal to shine. An upbeat jauntiness arrives with 'Black Tambourine', a highly personal account of sacrifice and progress: "I'm keeping myself alive / facing down the fear / thinking what's the big idea?" The sound is reminiscent of Teenage Fanclub - with acoustic to the fore and electric riff right behind it. It's one of those songs that lifts moods and warms the cockles.

There's a diversion over the next few tracks as Willson's takes us with him to California, creating a narrative arc around his travels - and the highs and lows of being on the road. 'Love Over Desires' is told on the way from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. And for squeezing in a line like 'Playing the puggies in the Vegas airport lobby', take a boy, Dan. The pace remains fluid, the melodies instantly memorable, helped by sharp lyrics, such as 'King of Hollywood's upbeat: "So here we go now / is this the sunset strip / another strawberry mojito / pressed against your lip". It brings life to the tracks, moves them from being verses around which a song is built and into stories that reveal the character of their author. Willson is laying himself bear, not in any sort of existential way, but in the physical world. The lack of metaphor is thoroughly refreshing. By bringing this wider theme to the tracklisting, you can almost feel the hangover in 'California' with its slow pace and scratchy vocal. "Last night I could have sworn I was dying" only serving to confirm this.

The theme doesn't continue throughout - which given the five year period between albums isn't a surprise. The second half of the album loses focus a little as a result, purely because the songs before it were linked. 'Between Love and Ruin' never quite lives up to its potential - a strong opening verse is followed by the gorgeous:  I wanted to hold you / to lick the tears from your face / but my picket fence heart / it kept me hear in my place, but from here, just as you expect the song to lift, it fails to do so and peters out, the brass section never quite dominating as it could have. Even title track 'New Gods' falls a little short, the rhythm too simple, and for once the lyrics dropped for a 'do-do' chorus.

Form is duly restored on 'Heart Heart' where tempo changes, lush harmonies and massive chorus set the album up for a great close, which 'Not Alone' delvers, making better use of the brass, and its sing-a-long na-na chorus works far more effectively than on 'New Gods' itself.

Over the piece, it's a heartfelt, touching album that reinforces Willson as one of the best lyricists around at the moment. The sound is warm, the stories told poignant, and while it can be difficult to distinguish much of the album's content from its predecessor  - raising questions over Willson's evolution as a songwriter - New Gods is an enjoyable listen.