Saturday 16 February 2013

FEATURE: Bridie Jackson And The Arbour

*Originally published for The Tipping Point (11/2/13)

It’s one thing when a band comes forward with a ‘new’ genre of music; it’s another when a band offers something timeless. Newcastle’s Bridie Jackson And The Arbour may not be serving up the hottest dish of hipster tunes, but they do know how to pen songs of a refined and classical nature – duly recognised by BBC 3, national press and beyond. No song could better demonstrate this talent than the 4-piece’s latest single, ‘Scarecrow’ (released as a double A-side).


Bridie Jackson has a voice of crystalline quality not unlike that of Feist’s and, if truth be told, her arresting vocal is the song’s centrepiece. Armoured with Leonard Cohen-style lyrics, Jackson sings from the grave about dying just before her wedding day. With the mischievous piano loop, rumbling cello and dark, Celtic strings, ‘Scarecrow’ emits a black humour that creeps into your every fibre and doesn’t leave.

Chamber-pop harmonies ring out unaccompanied at the end and, although the track is over, the drama is residual. An ominous and beautiful single that will haunt many others to come.

*Tip courtesy of Joe Sparrow from A New Band A Day

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