Have you ever heard a band for the first time and thought they must have been made with you in mind? Well, I kinda had that impression when I first heard Sons and Daughters. I'm a big fan of the post punk Americana of Gun Club and The Violent Femmes, and of early Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, but I also love bands featuring female lead vocals by dynamic frontwomen. Somehow an amalgam of all this materialized in Glasgow Scotland circa 2001. It was started by two members of Arab Strap (Adele Bethel on lead vocals/guitar/piano, and David Gow on drums/percussion) who were later joined by Ailidh Lennon (bass/mandolin/piano) and Scott Paterson (vocals/guitar). The Repulsion Box (2005) was nominally their 1st LP, released two years after their debut mini album Love the Cup. Not that Box is a "normal" length CD: 10 songs bristling with nervous energy, it's all over in half an hour. "Medicine" is introduced with pounding drums and scratchy guitars and features a manic lead vocal by Adele. "Red Receiver" starts off similarly to Violent Femmes' "Kiss Off", and doesn't disappoint: once again a very energetic piece, with Adele's unbridled shouting combined perfectly with Paterson's more controlled baritone and backing vocals reminiscent of The Bad Seeds. A bit of mandoline adds folk flavor, while there's also a slow bit where the music stops while the two singers continue with the sole accompaniment of handclaps. "Hunt" begins with a burst of noise and continues in the same vein, reminding me of Birthday Party. The most "difficult" track on the record gives way to the most "commercial": lead single "Dance Me In" - and it's telling that they're not too dissimilar, after all. "Taste The Last Girl" is the second single, even though not, in my opinion, among the highlights. "Rama Lama", on the other hand, certainly is. Here Scott takes most of the lead - really most of the songs in this album are duets between the two singers, while often Adele takes on lead with Scott backing her up. "Rama Lama" shows a strong spaghetti western influence, with quieter sections driven by low bass and percussion followed by outbursts dominated by Adele's shrieks. Not to demean any of the other members, who are all excellent at what they do, but it's her ability to sing, shout, holler and scream like there's no tomorrow that drives this band above all else. In this she reminds me of another personal favorite, coincidentally also from Glasgow, Sue Tompkins. Sons and Daughters made two more albums before their final dissolution in 2012; all are good but this is really my favorite. Highly recommended!
***** for Medicine, Red Receiver, Dance Me In, Rama Lama
**** for Hunt, Choked, Taste the Last Girl, Monsters
*** from Royally Used, Gone
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