Unwed Mothers – Eponymous – LP review
11th April 2013 sees Unwed Mothers from Edmonton in Canada who I took a look at back in December 2012 release their new eponymous eight track LP digitally along with CDs, which will first be made available at live shows during their release supporting tour from the 12th to 26th April 2013 in Western Canada.
Unwed Mothers – Eponymous LP cover
Opening with Skeletons a track you will know from the video if you saw the introduction of the band last year – is a smart opener as it garners familiarity, whilst for those new to Unwed Mothers demonstrates ably, the powerful rock swathed within melody that is the hallmark of the band.
Lose Control opens with a throaty guitar that slows the pace before the timbre of the vocals slinks its way into the room and the listener is away on a keyboard fused bluesy ballad, with a scintillating interlude of instrumentation as the vocal spirals with the line ‘I never Lose Control’, before settling back to calmness. A delightfully ironic track.
Next up we are On The Run which has a country feel and the head is bobbing up and down as though trotting a horse across the plain. This I did enjoy for its very variance.
At the half-way point comes White Night a track that spears the core of the semantics of the lyrical content which focusses on interpersonal relationships and equally the dampens guitars to present a more barren sound which resonates with the sentiment.
Lover’s Disease takes the audience back to a more earthy sound – a space in which Unwed Mothers excel as the sultry vocal teases the ears. A particularly delightful break 3:30 into the track leaves percussion sounding like a rapidly beating heart as the voice seduces.
Positioned neatly in the LP is Cherry Grove, which is set to a more muted instrument as Julie Adams is given the opportunity to demonstrate the powerful emotions she can drive through the microphone.
Soul drops octaves with a swing beat and the listener can’t to help but smile with the shift that flows through this the penultimate track.
Concluding with Slow, which intriguingly opens with organ pipes is one of those – keep the best to last – my pick of the LP as the track pulls in all the threads of the LP with a composition that showcases all that is best of Unwed Mothers. Melodics, empathy, pace and atmosphere sit in a superbly balanced five minutes of intensely emotional reflectivity.
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