How long before the work of Mathias Kom is gracing book review columns rather than the ‘new CDs roundup’?
The Canadian songwriter’s prolific work is becoming increasingly literary, following 2016’s album ‘Public Library’. Their eighth album is a loose concept piece about the end of the world, set to a mix of folk and indie with a bit of klezmer chucked in for good measure.
It also sees the band move on from semi-autobiographical work to fantastic, elaborate scenarios – ‘The Babysitter’ telling of a Scottish spy nursing the spawn of Hitler and Unity Mitford.
Or there’s ‘The River Never Freezes Anymore’s “famous drowning of 72”, its dry wit driving a dance party only surpassed by the closing track which sees the album’s ‘characters’ reconvene at Revival Beach to dance the apocalypse away. And I can’t think of anyone better to spend it with.
(This review originally appeared in the Forfar Dispatch)