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Although there's a certain folksy simplicity to Aberfeldy - they take their name from a small Scottish town after all, and play guitar, fiddle, and banjo, as with another Scottish band - Belle & Sebastian, their stock in trade is very much perfect 60s pop rather than austere folk. Thankfully on this their second album shows them to be experts at such finely crafted stuff. First track 'If-Then' is endearing rousing, cheery pop with positive, upbeat lyrics, "If you stick with me / then there will definitely be happy ever after." When second track ‘Hypnotised’ repeats the trick you start to think Aberfeldy can toss off this kind of stuff in their sleep (so to speak). Despite the similarities to B&S the nagging lilts and glockenspiel, guitar and girl/boy vocal parts remind most of all of those purveyors of perfect retro pop The Thrills and the Magic Numbers.
The highlight of this album is probably ‘Uptight’ whose sublime 80s pop keyboard hook transform it from pleasant jangle into, well, a fair old toe tapper, appropriately enough built on the lyrical refrain "Come on baby / you might as well as dance all night.” ‘Need You To Know’ begins bearing a resemblance to The Police’s ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’ before sliding in to more Thrillsy sugary pop. ‘Poetry’ is another song of two halves, staring with a lovely shimmery keyboard and glockenspiel melody and Riley Briggs cooing "I've got a bone to pick with you…I’ve got a bonnet with a bee insight” which could attract accusations of tweeness but they easily get away with it. Whatever, it becomes a more abrasive song anyway.
Indeed Aberfeldy do revel a harder steelier edge amongst the lush pop. There’s what we would guess is there ‘Hey Scenesters!’ – ‘All True Trendies’ which is in fact a more moody, maudlin expression of personal dissatisfaction rather than a true attack on the posers. Its an attack delayed however as ‘1970s’ chirpy Beach boys pops cant disguise its lyrics - “You dress as if it was the 1970s / you say ‘that’s heavy’ but you don’t know what it means” Presumably this is intentionally ironic given the bands own music not to mention distinctly 70s looking album cover. ‘Never Give Up’ steps away from fey indie most of all, being a defiant statement of person ambition– “I’ll never give up now / whatever you think of me / I still believe in me…The talent I was given / To keep inside would be criminally wrong / It’s impossible to hide”. Certainly a refreshing alternative to "We just do it for ourselves and if anyone else likes it that’s a bonus".
This is a great summery pop album packed with great tunes. Aberfeldy is now definitely on the musical map.
