I Am An Island is highly anticipated, and quite rightly so. With a loyal fan base eager to sing back line after line, this may be the moment when Fatherson truly emerge as the next big Scottish band to take flight.
What Fatherson have always done well is bring rousing choruses in line with catchy, guitar-driven hooks. Soaring melodies inject life into an atmospheric sound which is usually, rightly or wrongly, compared to bands like Frightened Rabbit. Ross Leighton’s vocals are always warm and rich sounding, even if the lyrical content is usually somewhat more downbeat.
All the elements mentioned above are indeed present on this, the band’s debut album. The opening track – carrying the same name as the record – was designed to showcase the band’s skill at crafting tight indie-rock which tinkers with understated beauty. It works.
Most of the songs on I Am An Island sit around the three-and-a-half-minute mark and most rest on punchy, strong rhythms and stirring vocals that build to sweeping crescendos. None more so than ‘I Like Not Knowing’. Weighted lyrics such as: “I don’t know where we are going/could hazard a guess/but I like not knowing” can easily be re-imagined being sung back by an audience at full pelt, at one of the band’s hotly tipped live shows.
Whilst ‘Lights’ slips gracefully from simple harmonies into a gloriously thrashing chorus, ‘Half The Things’ bounds towards its chorus line with much the same gusto. This is no bad thing in itself but you begin to know where any given song is going by learning the formula.
In saying that, ‘Dust’ is an entirely different entity. Stripped back guitars and vocals offer up a glimpse into the real appeal of Fatherson. Despite the fact that hearing the shades of any Scottish lead singer’s accent seems to have become standard fare of late, Leighton’s vocals really are something wonderful to listen to – especially when he hits those higher notes.
For fans of Fatherson, I Am An Island is everything they could possibly want delivered in a nice little 40 minute time-frame. For others, it will no doubt be an accomplished and joyous album in the main, but one whose downfall is perhaps the fact that by half way through you come to know what to expect.
Nevertheless, I Am An Island is beautifully crafted and sung with heartfelt reflection and grace. Expect it to be on many peoples’ best of year lists.
