By Kevin Scott
Call to Mind are a Glasgow-based band from the Scottish Highlands whose early singles and EPs have revealed a sound that, ahem, calls to mind a stereo full of influences from Sigur Rós to Mogwai, Slowdive and Elbow. All of which makes debut album The Winter is White a highly anticipated release.
It opens with 'A Family Sketch', cold feedback giving way to a chomping piano track that sounds like the thaw of spring before Martin Ross’ high-pitched vocal and low pounding drums add depth. Every part hangs on the piano though, as the many textures of the track continues to build. As openers go, it’s a solid marker for what follows.
‘Energy // Blast’ changes direction slightly; it's more melodic, strings and guitars crossing in a track that sounds as though it could have been on the first Elbow album. Unusually, the album peaks in the middle as opposed to being front-loaded (the track listing is hugely effective, as it goes, until a point, but more of that to follow).
The gentle piano that begins 'Passing Drumochter' is backed with lush feedback before a heavily distorted vocal floats in above it all, perfectly soundtracking whatever it is you're doing while listening, while 'Breathe' showcases the band at their best with soaring strings, sublime guitars and a confident vocal display by Ross, who's refrain of "take a pill and numb the pain" is the most melodic thing on the whole album. Following that, 'Over the Machar' has a big, ambitious sound, vocally the high point of the album. There's an emotional resonance throughout. Like the album as a whole, it sooths and excites in equal measure. This and the gloriously uplifting 'Untitled' would have brought the album to a fitting close, so this is where questions must be asked of the track listing with the two closing tracks closer to filler material than anything else.
The band have described their sound as like ‘trying to paint something’ and listening to the album as a whole you can see what they mean. There’s plenty of texture and a richness to the arrangements that seems to make the whole thing drift free of gravity. To that end, Call to Mind have created a collection of songs are as soothing as they are joyous; the sort of album you can vanish into and emerge from feeling as though you've just ingested something wonderful.
