Look in the puddles of any Glasgow street and you'll see the reflections of a hundred downbeat singer songwriters intent on bringing their misery to your world. Likewise, look into any shop window and you'll see the reflections of a hundred indie rock bands desperately trying to impress you with their identikit haircuts and knowledge of at least 3 chords.
Hiding in the shadows - where else? - you'll find the true heart of this no mean city. It's a black heart too, filled with revenge and lost love. Putting the soundtrack to that dark mental picture are the Badbadmen. They see the sum rising in the morning and they see it set over the gallows at night. Perhaps I'm being a touch dramatic? Perhaps not. I'd rather live in the spaghetti western world of "Gallows" and seek my redemption there. The interesting thing about this band is that the songs are merely pretending to be afflicted with Americana. "Anna Maria's Bones" is just the kind of rock ballad that Rod Stewart should be singing these days to rescue his credibility and "Lord Be A Raven and Pluck Out My Wandering Eye" rings truer than anything those urban pretenders Glasvegas can manage. Good rock songwriters have always found a home in Glasgow even if they dress in black.
Apart from giving further credence to the rather worrying conclusion that
bands from Glasgow sound better if they don't sound like they come from Glasgow, there is little to criticise here for the songs are rather good indeed and the performances nicely capture the mood. I'm just going out to buy myself a black shirt and one of those cowboy hat things now. There's a reckoning in the air…