Mildred’s Dairy waited a long time to record this album, thirty years infact!
A collective of childhood friends and some new-ish acquaintances this album has been brewing in the mind of lead singer/songwriter Bobby Motherwell for three decades.
Being fifty something’s though has its advantages, with age has come an injection of wit, wisdom, life and most importantly a patience to perfect their music.
Recorded at Green Door studios in Govan and exquisitely produced at Ca Va there is an air of quality to this recording and gentle post punk pop shines through.
Album opener ‘Evergreen’ is a fast paced quirky pop song with a sublime driven guitar and saxophone intro.
Unashamedly pop there is a sense of summertime about the track which hints that this record maybe be a cracker.
Motherwell has a homely charm to his voice and he sells this with gentle humour and passion in equal measure.
‘You’re So Vain’s Been Done (And It’s All True)’ takes a switchblade to relationships with sharp and insightful lyrics and a post punk guitar vibe; the track also samples overlaid movie dialogue, which is used later in the album to stunning effect.
‘Common Seed’ carries on the strong guitar pop, which is a common feature on the album, with saxophone again cutting in dramatically to fill up the sound and give a real depth and quality to the recording.
It’s not all light hearted and fun though with stand out track ‘It’s Hate That Wins The Day’ finding Motherwell in a dark and brooding mood.
A deep bass guitar loop brings drama to the intro with a pounding drum beat and almost whispered movie dialogue providing a sullen atmosphere, electric guitar and saxophone kick in before Motherwell sells his lyric in a mixture of spoken word and singing.
‘Resurrection’ and perfect summer driving song ‘Shedding My Skin’ bring the album back to the lighter indie pop feel, don’t be surprised to hear the latter blaring out and open car window on a sunny Glasgow day.
‘Sweet Soul’ is a low key reflective song with a hint of a reggae beat; it’s gently sung and bubbles with emotion and tenderness, while ‘Fools Rush In’ snaps the album back to life with a spiky lyric and wah wah peddled guitar reminiscent of early British indie pop.
Closer, ‘The Child In Me’ is another stand out and uses a clever and very light guitar hook; Motherwell again mixes spoken word with singing as he tells a tale of losing a loved one, it sounds depressing but it’s delivered with tenderness and care and sparks to life towards the end of the track as if a new day is dawning.
Good things do come to those who wait and this collective have clearly got better with age.
If you like your music clever and delivered by grownups then this is an album for you.
Words: Peter Dorrington
