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AberfeldyYoung Forever Rogue /Inertia I can't argue with Aberfeldy. Mind you, I tried - the first time I listened to 'Young Forever', I walked around in circles, formulating ideas in my head as to how this album could be torn apart. Was it just too happy? Was it too limited by its simplistic instrumentation? Was it simply too easily ignored? No, it's none of these. It's a good record - nay, a great record - that you really have to listen to before you understand. You see, the album bubbles along at its own pace, which can be disconcerting because unless you make an effort to clock into its natural speed, you're likely to be disappointed. Apparently (so the sticker on the front cover assures me), this record was recorded live - in front of one microphone. That must be one hell of a microphone, because the album comes out extremely cleanly, if perhaps a little thin without the benefit of studio overdubs to produce those big sounds we're all so accustomed to nowadays. However, underneath all of this 'Young Forever' is a corker of an album. The Beach Boys comparisons don't really tell the story - Brian Wilson's incredibly complex arrangements are nowhere to be found here, although both bands share the same joyous spirit and soaring harmonies. Basically, these are great songs with ingenious lyrics (take Love Is An Arrow, for instance: "Love is a noun and a verb as well / You'll find it in the dictionary, under L") performed simply but surely by experts. If you like pop in the mould of fellow countrymen Belle and Sebastian, give this more than a once-over and you're sure to be quite fond of Aberfeldy.  |
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