‘When The Haar Rolls In’ is Yorkston’s fourth studio album and sees him and his Athletes taking on all duties (including production) themselves. The result is an album that, although not changing direction, introduces a new style to their craft.
Unlike previous albums this record is less reliant on vocal melody and leans more towards a conversational style. A good facet as Yorkston’s voice is like a familiar great uncle, whose stories you could listen to for hours. The results is an album that is less immediate than its predecessors and requires a lot more work for it to really grab.
The one exception to this rule would be the one ‘pop song’ (loosely referred to as this as it welcomes a more traditional song structure, rather than because it’s going to be bothering Girls Aloud in the top 10) – ‘Tortoise Regrets Hair’, which boasts a devilishly catchy chorus. Despite or maybe because of this, ‘Tortoise…’ is the albums most annoying and also most disappointing moment.
The remainder of the album sees Yorkston take us through a journey of intimate stories and plaintive odes to love (‘Would You Have Me Born With Wooden Eyes’), loss (‘Summer’s Not The Same Without You’) and drinking (‘Temptation’). All following a less traditional structure rather than verse, chorus, verse, including some delightful dissonance and drone (‘Midnight Feast’), some folk wig outs (‘When The Haar Rolls In’) and even an oboe solo (‘The Capture Of The Horse’).
The album flourishes the more you listen to it and as it progresses itself, with the highlights coming towards the end. The double whammy of ‘…Wooden Eyes’ and ‘Summer’s not..’ are worth the price of the CD alone. Both delivering spectacular harmonies where Yorkston’s husky voice is counter balanced by sweet female harmonies and the vocals of bass player Doogie. Both are like watching a flower bloom – they start small and grow into something quite beautiful.
Another highlight is ‘Midnight Feast’ which welcomes in the cream of folk aristocracy with Norma Waterson, Mike Waterson, Olly Knight and Marry Gilhooly lending their vocals to a rip roaring folk chant. It also benefits by the double bass mixing with Yorkston’s own husky voice to create an earthquake inducing grumble.
So another superb album by Yorkston and his (extended) Athletes, but one that has the listener working hard to really appreciate the depth and inventiveness of each number.
Top Tracks :’Would You Have Me Born With Wooden Eyes’, ‘Summer’s Not The Same Without You’.
Released 01/09/2008 on Domino
