Review:'Autumn 1904' 'Tales of Innocence: The John Peel Session'
- Album: 'And Collected recordings 1984-2023'
- Label: 'Last Night From Glasgow'
- Genre: 'Eighties'
- Release Date: '1.3.24.'
Our Rating:
Tales of Innocence is the debut album that Autumn 1904 started recording in 1984 two years after the band formed that has finally been completed and issued a mere 42 years later. So don't expect a follow up any time soon, as this Edinburgh band are not in a hurry.
In the bands early days, they recorded a Peel Session that is included as part of this album. Autumn 1904 were Allan Dumbreck, Ross Thom, Billy Bowie, Keith Falconer, Billy Leslie, Indira Sharma and Lisa Cameron with additional vocals by Tippi from The Hedrons.
The album opens with Give It Time whose intro features a bassline that could have been stolen from Brilliant before the jangly postpunk guitars come in, as the vocals are all wistful, asking to be given enough time to prove your love.
I Heard Catherine Sing only they don't say which Catherine they are lusting over, wanting to hear those sultry vocals, in ways reminiscent of early China Crisis, as they plead to be able to hold, touch and hear Catherine.
Innocence has the dark urgency of Easterhouse or Torch Song and comes complete with the sounds of a whip being cracked at regular intervals as they sing about motion.
Kyrie is an emotional instrumental that builds and builds adding layers of strings, synths and all sorts.
Motherland is a totally overblown windswept view of the band's Motherland in this case not Mother Russia, but Mother Scotland as they march down the golden mile together in lock step it's surprising they don't have a platoon of pipers, as they try to keep the paranoia at bay, as they have had enough of it all.
Sister Tears takes the jangly guitars to teach us a lesson about how everything went wrong and your left crying Sister Tears constantly.
The Blessing is for surviving everything that's been thrown at them, as they ask for a chance to begin again, not making the same mistakes again.
The City is the sort of tune that should have been an 80's classic with lots of traffic sounds among the super catchy lyrics with choppy guitars, that we should all have been throwing shapes too back in the day.
The album closes with What's In Your Eyes that sounds like the retort to someone whose threatening to give you a Glasgow Kiss, with the sweet backing vocals hoping to avert the impending pain as one last bassline kicks against the pain and suffering hoping for a brighter future.
Find out more at https://shop.lastnightfromglasgow.com/products/autumn-1904-peel-sessions-and-beyond?_pos=1&_sid=b95a3e1a0&_ss=r https://www.autumn1904.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/Autumnnineteenofour
