The Delgados | ||
| Allmusic Biography : While failing to earn the same critical renown and cultish devotion lavished upon countrymen Belle & Sebastian or Mogwai, the Delgados were in many respects the true epicenter of the contemporary Scottish pop renaissance. Through their renowned Chemikal Underground label, the group not only launched the careers of acts from Bis to Arab Strap, but their own recordings rank among the most sublime pop experiences in recent memory, blossoming from the lo-fi simplicity of their earliest work to an increasingly ambitious palette defined by achingly beautiful melodies, soaring string arrangements, and intricate waltztime rhythms. Childhood friends Alun Woodward (vocals/guitar), Stewart Henderson (bass), and Paul Savage (drums) first collaborated as members of the group Bubblegum before defecting to form the Delgados (so named in honor of legendary Spanish cyclist Pedro Delgado) in 1994. Singer/guitarist Emma Pollock completed the lineup, and after founding Chemikal Underground the quartet issued its debut effort "Monica Webster" in February 1995, earning "Single of the Week" honors in Melody Maker. The labels second release was Bis "Disco Nation." Subsequent offerings included Arab Straps underground classic "The First Big Weekend" and Mogwais debut LP Mogwai Young Team. After issuing the Lazarwalker EP on the Radar imprint, the Delgados returned to Chemikal Underground for the 1996 release of the single "Cinecentre." Two more singles, "Under Canvas Under Wraps" and "Sucrose," as well as a U.K. tour in support of Elastica, preceded the October bow of their first full-length effort, Domestiques. The albums near-unanimous critical acclaim was echoed by the BBCs influential John Peel, who christened the Delgados "the best in Britain." Named "Single of the Week" by both Melody Maker and NME, the remarkable "Everything Goes Around the Water" heralded the release of the bands sophomore album, 1998s Peloton. The records second single, the haunting "Pull the Wires From the Wall," later earned the number one spot on Peels annual "Festive Fifty" countdown. That September, the Delgados also mounted sessions for their third LP. As months in the studio dragged by with no end in sight, the resulting tapes were ultimately given to producer Dave Fridmann, much acclaimed for his work on the Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin. The end result, 2000s The Great Eastern, was among the years most brilliant albums, a majestic and richly textured masterpiece light years removed from the ragged noise-pop of their earliest outings. In March of 2001, the Delgados also appeared at Londons Barbican Centre to perform their original score to a film based on the work of painter Joe Coleman. Their next album, Hate, was also produced by Fridmann and arrived in early 2002. In 2004, the band released Universal Audio, a tight, melodic and occasionally sunny pop album that signaled a departure from the orchestral rock of their two Fridmann-produced records. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 8 Title: The Lazarwalker E.P. Released: 1995 Tracks: 4 Duration: 09:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Primary Alternative (02:47) 2 Lazarwalker (02:35) 3 Buttonhole (03:08) 4 Blackwell (01:26) |
 | Album: 2 of 8 Title: Domestiques Released: 1996-10-28 Tracks: 14 Duration: 39:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Under Canvas Under Wraps (02:40) 2 Leaning on a Cane (02:56) 3 Strathcona Slung (03:29) 4 Tempered; Not Tamed (03:48) 5 One More Question (00:55) 6 Big Business in Europe (02:36) 7 Falling and Landing (03:22) 8 Akumulator (03:20) 9 Sucrose (03:23) 10 Pinky (03:44) 11 Friendly Conventions (02:06) 12 Smaller Mammals (01:43) 13 4th Channel (02:32) 14 Destus Morte (02:52) |
| Domestiques : Allmusic album Review : Domestiques is the sound of the Delgados developing their songcraft. Everything is a bit more loose and jagged than on Peloton and The Great Eastern. Perhaps they hadnt yet mastered their instruments, or they were torn between the pop and punk aesthetics they would later straddle so masterfully. For the most part, the melodies and hooks arent as strong as later material; maybe the album is missing a certain bittersweet quality. Sonically, things are about on par with the later albums, but theres less harmonizing and less interplay between the two lead vocalists. The songs here are also a bit noisier and less focused than later songs. At the same time, there are certainly some great hooks in the mix. Even when things dont take off fully on the flights of fancy for which the band would become known, the songwriting is always first-rate. Its quite fun to hear the sped-up catchiness and angst of "Sucrose" and "Friendly Conventions," which suggest that the band was then thinking of going the route of Bis. The Delgados really did come out of the gate as expert songwriters on this debut album. The best signs of things to come are found in "Akumulator," "4th Channel," and "Under Canvas Under Wraps." Domestiques is a strong debut album from the Delgados; it blows pretty much every other album in the genre out of the water except, of course, Peloton and The Great Eastern. These 14 songs, getting in under the gun at 40 minutes, are the first giant steps from a band that would soon be leaping long before it looked, or so the cliché goes. It is quite easy to lose yourself in the catchy charms of any album by the Delgados; every band should be forced to study the Delgados discography before starting out. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 8 Title: BBC Sessions Released: 1997-09-05 Tracks: 11 Duration: 26:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Primary Alternative (02:56) 2 Ive Only Just Started to Breathe (02:36) 3 Lazarwalker (02:38) 4 Indian Fables (00:44) 5 Under Canvas Under Wraps (02:31) 6 Sucrose (03:25) 7 Teen Elf (01:15) 8 Thirteen Gliding Principles (02:46) 9 Friendly Conventions (01:55) 10 Tempered; Not Tamed (03:29) 11 Falling and Landing (02:37) |
 | Album: 4 of 8 Title: Peloton Released: 1998-06-08 Tracks: 11 Duration: 48:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Everything Goes Around the Water (04:15) 2 The Arcane Model (03:43) 3 The Actress (04:48) 4 Clarinet (05:36) 5 Pull the Wires From the Wall (03:47) 6 Repeat Failure (03:58) 7 And So the Talking Stopped (04:33) 8 Dont Stop (04:44) 9 Blackpool (05:01) 10 Russian Orthodox (03:49) 11 The Weaker Argument Defeats the Stronger (03:55) |
| Peloton : Allmusic album Review : Peloton, from Glasgows prodigal Delgados, is an eclectic offering that travels beyond the sphere of pop. This dynamic album manifests itself as a layered exploration of different pop genres, fluctuating unpredictably -- but with precision and a masterful discipline -- from one end of the pop spectrum to the next. Peloton exposes you to intense sessions filled with heaping doses of electronic distortion, record scratching, and blistering guitar solos that transcend the futuro-folk lyrics in the tradition of Pavement or even Fuck. The Malkmus-ian style of Stewart Hendersons voice and Emma Pollocks meditative vocals ring with bliss. The integration of the flute and other orchestral instruments conjure up a strong Celtic passion that almost seems slightly out of place, but only for a second. Despite the powerful, but random charges that spontaneously occur throughout the sonic festival of Peloton, its a mature, premeditated album that will turn many ears in the direction of the Delgados. Songs to highlight while listening include "Everything Goes Around the Water," "Actress," and "Blackpool." Peloton is one of the best albums of 1999. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 8 Title: The Great Eastern Released: 2000-04-17 Tracks: 10 Duration: 46:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Past That Suits You Best (06:21) 2 Accused of Stealing (05:42) 3 American Trilogy (04:46) 4 Reasons for Silence (Eds Song) (03:28) 5 Thirteen Gliding Principles (03:44) 6 No Danger (06:32) 7 Aye Today (04:55) 8 Witness (04:04) 9 Knowing When to Run (03:26) 10 Make Your Move (03:12) |
| The Great Eastern : Allmusic album Review : On the Delgados third album, their dreamy, loose-limbed, and slightly folky pop music continues to mature, and their skill at songwriting is increasingly matched by a talent for orchestration. Some listeners will find this trend off-putting, but be patient: The horn section on "The Past That Suits You Best" may sound pretentious on first listen, but it sounds perfect by the third. Ditto for the time signature changes on "Accused of Stealing," which is also distinguished by guitarist Emma Pollocks delightfully plain-spoken vocals. "American Trilogy" is a pretty cringe-worthy song title, but the song is pretty enough and the strings are subtle. And on "No Danger," Alun Woodward has the good taste (and, probably, the ironic sensibility) to lift the melody from Kris Kristoffersons "Help Me Make It Through the Night." The album ends with a strong gesture: the minimalist "Make Your Move," on which Pollock sings a sweetly simple melody supported largely by piano, Dobro, and cello. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 8 Title: Hate Released: 2002-01-01 Tracks: 12 Duration: 56:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Light Before We Land (05:30) 2 All You Need Is Hate (02:53) 3 Woke From Dreaming (04:32) 4 The Drowning Years (05:12) 5 Coming in From the Cold (03:34) 6 Child Killers (06:42) 7 Favours (04:36) 8 All Rise (04:43) 9 Never Look at the Sun (05:23) 10 If This Is a Plan (04:26) 11 Coalman (05:38) 12 Mad Drums (02:55) |
| Hate : Allmusic album Review : Bringing the Beatles into any discussion or analysis of music since...oh, about 1970 is not only the granddaddy of all rock critic clichés -- its ultimately pointless because of the seep of the band into every single recess of the world of popular music. Nevertheless, its almost impossible not to bring the band up when talking about Hate, the Delgados first release since the much-lauded (and possibly over-hyped) breakthrough release, The Great Eastern. The first giveaway is the track which inspired the albums title, "All You Need Is Hate," which inverts the premise of the original into a bouncy, three-minute pop song which pretty much questions the motivations of everyone who can still draw breath. Even bleaker is "Child Killers," which is the dark flipside of John Lennons "Imagine," complete with a cop of part of the melody and a sly lyrical reference; while the original song was a hopeful number, "Child Killers" reflects a self-medicating generation without hope of any kind, not even caring if they live or die: "Maybe now Ill find peace in another world" indeed. From a musical perspective, its hard not to haul out another cliché; each of the songs here is processed, tweaked, and orchestrated into a positively massive (even majestic) sonic epic, bringing to mind albums by the Flaming Lips or Mercury Rev that were released around the same time. If you believe the party line, the Delgados had already fully hammered out the songs before bringing them to producer Dave Fridmann (whose heavy production hand had, indeed, provided much of the sonic signature of both the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev), and Fridmanns contribution was minimal polish. Thats pretty hard to believe when you actually listen to the results, but its certainly easy to forgive; where The Great Eastern was a fairly gentle and tentative record in a lot of ways, this one is bigger and demands your attention. The good news is that its one of those rare records that actually deserves all of the attention it demands. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 8 Title: Universal Audio Released: 2004-09-20 Tracks: 11 Duration: 40:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Fought the Angels (03:20) 2 Is This All That I Came For? (03:16) 3 Everybody Come Down (03:14) 4 Come Undone (03:31) 5 Get Action! (04:19) 6 Sink or Swim (02:57) 7 Bits of Bone (02:45) 8 The City Consumes Us (04:14) 9 Girls of Valour (03:56) 10 Keep on Breathing (04:06) 11 Now & Forever (05:04) |
| Universal Audio : Allmusic album Review : The Delgados refer to Universal Audio as their "long-awaited pop album," and while the description is apt, its their penchant for atmospheric, industrial town melancholia that ultimately wins out. In stark contrast to 2002s bombastic Dave Fridmann-produced Hate, Audios sleek opener, "I Fought the Angels," begins with just a guitar and Emma Pollocks winsome vocals before launching into a tight Bossanova-era Pixies groove. Alun Woodward, always the reluctant optimist, follows with "Is That All I Came For?," a tale filled with doubt wrapped in a golden Beach Boys wonton -- a trick he honed to perfection on Hates sunny and sarcastic title track -- but its Pollocks instantly catchy and retro (as in 1992) "Everybody Come Down" that embodies the groups metamorphosis from brooding orchestral pop experimentalists into hook-driven purveyors of sunny road-trip modern rock. Whats interesting about that single, as well as the bulk of Universal Audio, is that its the simple omission of the excessive reverb that defined their two previous records that gives these new tracks their pop sheen. Cuts like "Bits of Bone" and "Girls of Valour" are harmony-laden confections of melodic complexity, and while they manage to fuse the angular melodicism of pre-Skylarking XTC with the pastoral city-kitsch of a band like Saint Etienne, theres still an undercurrent of wistful discontent thats distinctly Delgados. That air of predawn loneliness is best conveyed on Pollocks gorgeous ode to the love/hate relationship between artists and their hometown on "The City Consumes Us," a beautiful ballad that features one of Pollocks most devastating and affective vocal takes. Universal Audio is not a success upon first listen. Like all Delgados records, it takes repeated drives along the city outskirts to sink in, but when it does theres no going back, and the listener is rewarded once again with something rich, happily overcast, and strangely intangible. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 8 Title: The Complete BBC Peel Sessions Released: 2006-06-12 Tracks: 29 Duration: 1:46:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Lazarwalker (02:33) 2 Blackwell (01:32) 3 Ive Only Just Started to Breathe (02:34) 4 Primary Alternative (02:53) 5 Under Canvas Under Wraps (02:34) 6 4th Channel (02:26) 7 Teen Elf (01:16) 8 Sucrose (03:28) 9 Everything Goes Around the Water (04:16) 10 The Arcane Model (04:43) 11 Pull the Wires From the Wall (04:08) 12 Mauron Chanson (03:29) 13 Repeat Failure (04:38) 14 Dont Stop (04:35) 15 Blackpool (05:45) 16 The Weaker Argument Defeats the Stronger (03:56) 1 No Danger (06:29) 2 Maker Your Move (03:15) 3 Accused of Stealing (06:00) 4 Aye Today (04:46) 5 Mr Blue Sky (05:28) 6 California über alles (03:21) 7 Matthew and Son (03:13) 8 Last Rose of Summer (02:56) 9 Parcel of Rogues (03:53) 10 I Fought the Angels (03:19) 11 Ballad of Accounting (03:14) 12 Is This All That I Came For? (02:59) 13 Everybody Come Down (03:04) |
| The Complete BBC Peel Sessions : Allmusic album Review : The Delgados Complete BBC Peel Sessions is a fascinating look at one of the more easy to underrate indie rock bands of the late 90s/early 2000s -- easy because everything they did was so consistently good. There was never a shocking development to force uninitiated listeners to sit up and take notice, and never a defining moment -- just the kind of steady near-brilliance that is often overshadowed by blinding flashes of hype. Beginning with a 1995 Scottish radio session that John Peel heard and rebroadcast on his show, the disc shows the growth and development of the Delgados as their career continued. On their first two sessions (from 1995 and 1996), they were a jagged, jangling, high-energy indie rock group with strong hooks -- sort of like a Technicolor Wedding Present. If they had kept up in this direction, they may have made a couple of interesting albums and then faded, but as 1997s session shows, they began to add extra instrumentation and experiment with new sounds and textures. Tracks like "Pull the Wires from the Walls" and "The Arcane Model" are just as exciting and raw as their earlier songs, just with a lighter and more theatrical touch. Though their 1998 session steps away from the orchestration of the previous session, it makes use of dramatic dynamics, and songs like the aching "Dont Stop" give an inkling of the heights the band was getting set to reach. The 2000 session showcases the incredibly dramatic, orchestrated, and powerful sound the band developed at the time of The Great Eastern. Songs like "No Danger," "Make Your Move," and "Aye Today" are fabulous on record, and their slightly stripped-down and more intimate versions from the session are just as wonderful. They also represented the band at its peak, and further sessions begin to show the band settling into a less ambitious, if still quite impressive, sound. In fact, instead of promoting its current record, Hate, in 2002, the group decided on four covers of other peoples songs that provide both a hint at the bands sense of humor and ability to craft heart-stoppingly beautiful tunes out of any source material. Their deadly earnest take on the Dead Kennedys "California Über Alles" is quite hilarious, and their version of ELOs "Mr. Blue Sky" magically transforms a charming bit of candy floss into an innocent, achingly sweet, and strangely transcendent love song thanks to Emma Pollacks angelic vocals and the lush arrangement. By 2004s session, the Delgados sound remarkably confident and the songs (taken from Universal Audio) are among their best to date. The band forgoes outside instrumentation and ornate arrangements in favor of a direct approach that may shrink the scale of the sound but doesnt skimp on drama and emotion. It shows the band was still at the top of the game after ten years, an amazing feat for a pop band. The compilation is a fitting cap to the Delgados always interesting, often brilliant career as well as a tribute to the ears of John Peel. Both will be greatly missed. | ||