Emma Pollock

The Law of Large Numbers

(Chemikal Underground)

Record Review by Marcel Feldmar

An enchanting singer / songwriter hailing from the world of Scotland, Emma Pollock may be recognizable as the singer of The Delgados. Now, she moves up and out into the world as a solo performer, and the sound waves grow a little brighter.

We start, here, with a slight sad beginning that moves a little Kate Bush through the first few notes, and then kicks in to a more dynamic and solidly broken groove. While there are hints and haunts of other artists here, I think that what grabs me the strongest is the noticeable lack of a direct influence. Emma holds her head high and sings in a voice of her own, which is something that gets more difficult to do.

“You are the painter and I am the painted” is a line sung in the song “I Could Be  A Saint”, and if that’s true, this painting is vivid. The music is full of sadness and light, bright wit and rock and roll charm.

There are hints of a Tori Amos playfulness across the lilt and piano, but that moves a just a shadow, a slight brushstroke on this artist’s canvas. The music moves up and down, back and forth, across the vocals. Sometimes a little jazzy and carnivalesque, sometimes a little more improved and mathematical, like Tortoise, if Tortoise were a little more vocal and Glaswegian.

There is poetry in these songs, and it’s not just the words. It’s the sounds, the instruments; the xylophonic vibes dropping like raindrops over a lounge piano, making you feel like you’re heading for a rainy day on the beach. Then the song lifts and twists, and you’re doing some brilliant Tom Waits inspired Cabaret soft shoe across the boardwalk.

If you look on the surface, this is a fairly mellow and moving album, gentle and forgiving, with some upbeat twists and slightly improv(ish) jazz. That alone is not a bad thing, but if you look and listen deeper, you find that this album is a complete picture, a story telling and told by an emotive and expressive artist. Recorded beautifully with her husband and ex-Delgado band mate, Paul Savage, Emma Pollock takes us from beginning to end, from morning to night, and from an And to an Or.

This story ends, but the tale goes on.