Review Summary: One of the most solid folk releases of 2012
Admiral Fallow is a folk-rock band from Glasgow, Scotland fronted by lead singer and songwriter Louis Abbott. Their first effort,
Boots Met My Face, was primarily focused around Abbott’s acoustic guitar and life stories documenting his youth. Their newest release,
Tree Bursts In Snow, is much more of a band effort. The other members add an upbeat energy that wasn’t present on their first record, and it is all for the better.
Tree Bursts In Snow has a fuller and more easy to listen to sound than the band’s debut. Some tracks like “Guest of the Government” and “Beetle In The Box” are even radio ready in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Lyrically,
Tree Bursts In Snow is not exactly positive. Abbott has explained that the album title “Refers to the sound and the image of an artillery shell exploding into a cluster of snow-drenched trees” and many of the lyrics deal with gun violence and the loss associated with it. For example, the lyric “We came here to ask if you’d stop selling them” from first track “Tree Bursts” is a plea for the stopping of gun sales because of the danger and loss that accompanies them. Overall, Abbott’s lyrics have taken a major step forward from
Boots Met My Face and prove to be one of the highlights of the record.
Despite the dark and saddening concept surrounding the album,
Trees Burst In Snow is a musically uplifting record. The entire album is marked by beautiful melodies and harmonies tinged with Admiral Fallow’s Irish heritage (and accents). Keyboard player and secondary vocalist Sarah Hayes adds much to this album, complementing Abbott’s voice perfectly without overpowering it. The addition of clarinet and flute parts (played by Kevin Brolly and Sarah Hayes respectively) on tracks such as “Old Fools” and “Guest of the Government” help to give
Tree Bursts In Snow a beautiful folk atmosphere that many modern indie/folk releases lack while adding a diversifying element to the music. Simple, pounding drum rhythms and fitting bass parts do their job perfectly and help maintain the infectious energy of the album throughout. While nothing groundbreaking, the hooks of
Tree Bursts In Snow are very solid and consistent and make the album more accessible and listenable than Admiral Fallow’s first effort. The album does not drag or dip in quality once, making not one track worthy of skipping.
Tree Bursts In Snow is a huge leap forward for Admiral Fallow and 10 tracks of very solid folk-rock music that is sure to work its way onto more than one 2012 list.
Recommended Tracks (basically all of them but):
Guest Of The Government
Beetle In The Box
Old Fools
Isn’t This World Enough??
The Way Your Were Raised
