Artist: The Boy Who Trapped The Sun
Album: Fireplace
Label: Geffen Records
Release: July 12th
Reviewed By: Alex Litton
Colin MacLeod, aka The Boy who Trapped The Sun, is a 25-year-old hailing from the Scottish Highlands (Isle of Lewis, to be exact) who, under either name, would largely have escaped most people’s attention – until now that is. Bursting forth with his debut album that glides effortlessly across elements of folk and country, seamlessly gelling with layers of guitars, piano, drums and a drafted in string section for good measure, ‘Fireplace’ could see The Boy fairly rapidly outstrip his contemporary rivals.
It is hard to believe that this is an artist whose roots lay in thrash-punk (not to mention playing in a White Stripes tribute band) when you hear his introspective lyrics, hushed soft vocals and beautiful acoustic folk arrangements. It might sound twee and sentimental in theory to parade a song with lyrics like ‘We have windows/We have a roof/And a bottle of brew’ along with chicken clucks and an accordion accompaniment, as he does on the title track. But somehow in practice, it works: an almost idyllic paean to his Hebridean home that opens with the sound of crashing waves on a shore and neatly fingerpicked guitar. It also works on the pensive ‘Golden’, the album’s opener, whose pulsating bass line back MacLeod’s questioning ‘Would you believe me if I said I was happy’.
But don’t be mistaken by thinking ‘Fireplace’ is a heavy-laden doom-angst trip. Far from it. Okay, there might be a touch f the love anxiety on single ‘Katy’, but its upbeat and jaunty air belie the ‘Don’t say you love me/Don’t be too hasty/’cause if you do I’m running for the door’ lyric. MacLeod admits the album takes its lead from relationships with ex-girlfriends, and it does leave you at times feeling almost voyeuristic as you are intimately drawn into his deeply personal thoughts and feelings, vis-à-vis: ‘Now I could sing a sad love song/But what if all the words were wrong’, he asks on ‘Walking In The Dark’, a melodious piano and brushed drums number.
MacLeod’s influences are evident: a touch of Dylan on ‘Thorn In Your Side’ with its harmonica intro; a smattering of Nick Drake vocals on ‘I See You’, plus interwoven slide guitar; Jose Gonzalez informed guitar riffs on ‘Telescope’. And with his supplying everything on ‘Fireplace’ (acoustic guitar, drums, double bass, piano) but strings and female backing vox, his emergence on the folk/country scene is certain to add a new and fresh dimension to this often overlooked genre.
‘Fireplace’ is an album to keep you warm as you bask in its delicate laid-back easy glow. And with festival dates and a September support tour to ex-Guillemots’ Fyfe Dangerfield on the horizon, The Boy Who Trapped The Sun is certain to be ensnaring a good few hearts along the way.
Tracklist:
1. Golden
2. Katy
3. Fireplace
4. I See You
5. Home
6. Thorn In Your Side
7. Walking In The Dark
8. Dreaming Like A Fool
9. Telescope
10. Cooper Down
11. Antique Cobweb
(7/10)
Listen to more from The Boy Who Trapped The Sun at Myspace
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Says buy tickets then none so guessing that...
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