Some of this album from Fiskur, aka Ross Clark, has appeared on previous EPs and singles, but aside from his releases as part of Three Blind Wolves, it looks like this is his first proper album release – and it is a real gem.
BM has seen Fiskur live including his stint at the 2018 Kelvingrove Big Sleepout covering a couple of Frightened Rabbit tracks with the band, and it turns out that this LP is produced by supremely talented Frabbit Andy Monaghan.
The tracks here are a complex melange of indie-rock, funk, confessional poetry and they exhibit some rare talent and pure soul.
It would be hard to single out individual tracks but BM got really into ‘Too Slow Too Far’ (shades of classic Motown and then some) and first track ‘You Know Me So Well’, with its folk-rock vs triphop vibe, is actually really hard to categorise because it is original, heartfelt and just beautiful…
There are some other great songs on this album, indeed it’s all killer no filler here – most notably a more acoustic tune in ‘Raven’ and other lower key tracks like ‘Silhouette’…
Closer ‘Death Pact’ is quite amazing, a slow piece with guitar and synth – it transcends genres and just draws you in, with self-doubting lyrics which somehow grow into a sort of anthem – very moving and quite some musical achievement, for this listener anyway…
There are a lot of good albums out this year but my God this has to be one of the best – and repays repeated listenings as well, so many layers…