‘Songs of Scarecrows’ is the long awaited debut long-player from Northampton based An Escape Plan It’s a record that’s been just over a decade in the making but we have to say, more than worth the wait.
The accompanying press blurb promises sounds akin to Bright Eyes, The Shins and The Lemonheads. These are fairly bold claims but our curiosity has been piqued by the lead single ‘Ghosts’ which followed hot on the heels of the ‘Living Together EP’ released earlier this year.
Open with a deft swoop of brass reminiscent of Pet Sounds, opening track ‘Old Bones’ sets a high benchmark and the remainder of the record follows on. Sure, there are undertones of Conor Oberst, Grandaddy, Wilco, Bell XI or even the almost forgotten Amazing Pilots but to blithely list obvious influences is to do a great injustice to a remarkably talented band in their own right. Featuring members and former members of Tanaou, Red Kite, Medium 21 and the Mercury Prize nominated Maps, the talent on record here is clear.
‘Two Elbows, One Gun’ and ‘The Shipping News’ rate highly on my list of tracks of the year; astute songwriting with simple melodic arrangement. Simple. Effective.
Craig “Arge” Brown and Kathryn Sian Williams combine and contrast on vocals, the gruff with the smooth drawing in the listener and at their most tender it’s pure misery, heartbreak and despair. Yet, there are moments when like Gary Lightbody’s Reindeer Section, the vocals soar and crescendos of strings lift us higher. Maybe somewhere we can look down on a scarecrow strewn field and perhaps catch the littlest glimmer of hope on the horizon.
Songs Of Scarecrows is released on 20th May 2013 via The Shipping Forecast, available on a limited edition numbered CD and download.