- Label: 'Last Night From Glasgow/Creeping Bent Organisation'
- Genre: 'Indie'
- Release Date: '20.6.25.'
Our Rating:
The Empty Holster has taken The Empty Goldfish a mere 29 years to complete! Katy Lironi wanted to make sure she had the perfect picks for her cover's album, many of the songs have been recorded with help from the musicians whose songs are being covered. Her collaborators on the album include Vic Godard, James Kirk, Cambell Owens, Mick Slaven, Frances McDonald and Amelia Lironi.
The A-side opens with Holiday Hymn that has sweet girl group vocals over the urgent jangle pop of this cover of the Vic Godard classic, that despite not knowing it by name, I still knew most of the words.
Get On Board was originally by James Kirk and is a cool jangling indie song for an eloping couple running off to start a new life together. They depart from Grand Central Station, the lyrics are full of imagery, that almost feels like a story board for the wistful video, that would echo the Orange Juice Videos James made back in the 80's.
Somewhere In China totally re-works The Shop Assistants song into an almost whispered evocation to the wonders of transatlantic travel, the sparing guitar and tambourine backing full of emotion.
This Arsehole's Been Burnt Too Many Times has the velveteen rush that Nectarine No 9 had when I saw them live, the vocals buried under the reverb and feedbacking guitars, this is a full-on adrenal rush reminding me how great Davey Henderson was in Nectarine No 9.
Elevator is a collaboration with Jim Beattie for a forlorn down at heart love song.
Hey Mister reboots this Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn classic, infusing it with the spirit of Sweet Jane in a Cowboy Junkies style, the guitar scuffles and adds layers of pain to this song.
The B-side opens with her version of Vic Godard's immortal hit Stop That Girl and he appears on harmony vocals, this is a sweet version of a song I'll never tire of listening too.
Dial F For Fake was originally by Port Sulphur, this version is almost not there, super sparse jangle pop backing, with carefully enunciated vocals, making clear just how much she's been hurt by just how fake you are. The organ helps to add a layer or two to it, before it has echoes of Quinn & Collins version of Pale Blue Eyes.
Moscow is a spry re-working of Orange Juices pop nugget about the then Soviet city.
Louche Life is a duet with James Kirk in celebration of wanting to live as louche a life as possible, in the true spirit of all the Glaswegian artists Katy knows and loves.
22 Blue is another cool Velvets inspired nugget of a Davy Henderson song, she makes clear why your being hung out to dry, this is dark and sweet in equal measures.
The album closes with her version of the Beach Boys Big Sur, that has a sun dappled edge and none of the catholic guilt of Kerouac's Big Sur, this just wraps it in beautiful vocals and a super pretty backing.
Find out more at https://shop.lastnightfromglasgow.com/products/the-secret-goldfish-empty-holster-vinyl-lp-dl
