Second album from Aidan Smith ‘Allotments’ is a musical journey in terms of style and location. You can’t help but feel that Aidan is out of place in the world or maybe just in the wrong time but even with that you can see him becoming a well-known artist through the charm of his music alone.
Opener ‘Morning Was Your Picnic’ is both woozy and ramshackle. The sound is like a Paris street-corner band and is filled with charm. ‘Pockets’ is a poetic, piano driven melody with lyrics that remind you of the working class style of Jarvis Cocker. The vocal style itself is more reminiscent of Belle and Sebatsians Stuart Murdoch, especially noticeable in the third song ‘Drapes of Black’.
There are so many great songs that you would want to highlight on this album but the two that particularly come to mind are ‘Murder Ballad’ and ‘Lament of a Victorian Prostitute, London 1865’.
The former is a Saturday night tale of woe about drinking, trying to pull, failing and fighting ending with the twist of the subjects mother calling the police after realising that the fight had led to people being killed. What makes it delightful is that this tale is delivered in a song that has an almost nursery rhyme structure with barbershop vocal delivery.
The latter track mentioned above is an acoustic backed story of a pre 15-year-old prostitute who starts out as a maid and is raped by her master. Again it’s a tale of woe but delivered in an unassuming way.
All that’s left to be said is don’t miss out on this album and if you only buy one this month make it this.
//Gordon Neil