Emma Pollock - In Search Of Harperfield

Das Ende von The Delgados liegt mittlerweile mehr als 10 Jahre zurück. Seit dieser Zeit veröffentlichte Emma Pollock zwei Soloalben ("Watch The Fireworks", 2007, und "The Law Of Large Numbers", 2010) sowie insgesamt zwei Alben als Teil der Musikerkollektive von The Burns Unit ("Side Show", 2010) und The Fruit Tree Foundation ("First Edition", 2011). In den letzten 5 Jahren hatte sie sich ziemlich rar gemacht und war lediglich bei einem Song auf dem letzten Album von Dry The River ("Alarms In The Heart", 2014) als Gastsängerin zu hören gewesen. 

Jetzt erschien bei Chemical Underground recht still und heimlich ein neues Album der Schottin: "In Search Of Harperfield" lotet auf 11 Songs das Spektrum von schwermütigem Kammerpop mit satten Streicherarrangements ("Intermission", "Dark Skies") über klassischen englischen Folk zur Akustikgitarre ("Monster In The Pack", "Clemency") bis hin zu verspieltem Gitarrenpop ("Parks And Recreation"), der mit "Vacant Stare" seinen noisigen Höhepunkt erreicht, aus und steht damit dem Schaffen der Delgados näher als ihre früheren Veröffentlichungen. Da wäre es doch schade, wenn "In Search Of Harperfield" nahezu unbemerkt bleiben würde!

The influence of both the classic and contemporary is omnipresent on this LP, 'Alabaster' evokes thoughts of Kate Bush - 'King Of the Mountain' and John Grant's latest release all at once. 'Vacant Stare' pulls together a vocal nod towards Susanne Vega with a rambunctious and scrappy chorus that would be at home on a Pavement record. 'Don't Make Me Wait' has blustering violins and immediate grumbling guitar designed to represent ever changing emotions, something Sufjan Stevens does masterfully. It's within this variation that we find moments of pure ecstasy as you hear contentment within Pollock's delivery and lyrics while its accessible production style maintains consistence.

(The 405)

In Search Of Harperfield tries to make sense of ever-evolving life, exploring family secrets, ageing, death and role reversal. It seeks to understand love and loss – it is the sound of the sadness of time passing wrapped up in the sweetest soundtrack. The songs examine the history that pulses through familial veins, each chapter consolidating the singer's well established ability to encase flawless storytelling in enchanting melodies and razor sharp stanzas.

The opening scenes are set through 'Cannot Keep A Secret' with its sorrowful lament, stormy piano turbulence, uncertain confessionals, the ebb and flow of wave-crashing crescendos, before the sassy punch of 'Don't Make Me Wait', which switches between jagged, Elastica-esque riffs and seraphic vocal refrains carried on dreamy strings.

'Alabaster' has an ominous tincture – sinister synths and creeping self-doubt, elegiac strings and thudding, building beats. "These little secrets do betray you see, written in the creases of the smile you flash at me," she sings with a sense of menace. Lyrically, this album is Pollock's most accomplished work, with a cohesive thread throughout. Her elegant vocals are given the appropriate centre stage reverence, thanks in part to the talents of her husband and producer Paul Savage.

(The Quietus)