Aberfeldy have announced details of the release of a new album, 'Somewhere To Jump From', on Monday August 23rd through Tenement Records.
It's been a while since Aberfeldy's last album but time hasn't blunted their edge-the twelve tracks that make up Somewhere To Jump From are as sharp as they come, despite the somewhat depressing conditions that led to their creation. Dropped by their label and bruised by the departure of both female members, it could have been curtains for the Edinburgh outfit, whose 2004 debut album Young Forever garnered universal praise upon it's release and led to high profile touring support slots, an NME single of the week (Heliopolis By Night) and the dubious honour of having one track (Summers Gone) feature in adverts around the world for products including Diet Coke and Spanish nappies.
The new line up of Aberfeldy consists of songwriter/lynchpin Riley Briggs, his brother Murray Briggs on drums, and fellow founding member Ken McIntosh on bass. In addition their ranks have swelled to include multi instrumentalists Chris Bradley, Kirsten Adamson, daughter of Big Country's Stuart Adamson, and Poppy Ackroyd, a brilliantly versatile pianist/violinist with a grounding in Classical musical.
From a lovelorn plea aimed at an ex partner/keyboard player (In Denial), followed by a bittersweet reappraisal of the story-so-far (Play The Music Loud), to an account of Riley's years living on a commune run by an ex member of the Incredible String Band (California, West Lothian) and a bitchy character study of his downstairs neighbour and noise-complaint nemesis (Claire) plus pure pop gems like Turn The Record Over, Lisa Marie (a song written from Michael Jackson's perspective begging Lisa Marie Presley not to leave him for Nicholas Cage, spookily written the day before MJ's demise), and the fish-punned, quasi Jane Austen classic (and first single) Malcolm, 'Somewhere To Jump From' is Aberfeldy's slickest work to date incorporating musical influences ranging from Neil Young style folk rock, seventies AOR, and even some Stock, Aitken and Waterman for good measure.
The track-listing for the album is as follows:
1. Claire
2. Somewhere To Jump From
3. Malcolm
4. Mean Olí Misery
5. If I Were A Joiner
6. Turn The Record Over
7. In Denial
8. Lisa- Marie
9. Talk Me Round
10. Wendy
11. Play The Music Loud
12. California, West Lothian
The band will also release a single, Malcolm, on August 16th.
