Tom Morton

Album of the week - Admiral Fallow - Tree Bursts In Snow

Admiral Fallow - Tree Bursts In Snow (Nettwerk)
"This is shaping up to be quite a year for Admiral Fallow. The young Glasgow-based indie-folk band were TV first-footers on the BBC's Hogmanay show, then played a sold-out gig at the ABC during Celtic Connections. In February, their best-known song Squealing Pigs soundtracked an advert during the live Super Bowl broadcast, reaching an estimated audience of 111 million, then they launched into a series of tours that will eventually take them from the nooks and crannies of the Highlands, across the UK, Europe and the USA, and though a summer of festivals, to a headline slot at the Barrowland in December. Just as well they've got the tunes to back it all up. Two years ago, Boots Met My Face was a remarkable debut; its follow-up, Tree Bursts In Snow, pushes main man Louis Abbott's songwriting even further. The faster numbers are even catchier, the slower ones more complex in their pacing and arrangements (flute here, clarinet there). There's a real buzz about this band, live and on record: everything that's currently good about Scottish music is right here on this album."
ALAN MORRISON