Bathers
Pandemonia
(Wrasse Records)
By Redmund Law
And I could just distinguish
Standing motionless
Before that scene of remembered happiness
A wretched figure
Who filled me with such pity
Because at first I didn't recognize him
That I had to lower my eyes
In case anyone should see that they were filled with tears
it was myself.The above extract is by Chris Thomson who writes some of the most exquisitely beautiful lyrics that nobody will get to hear. The Bathers are essentially Thomson's poems wrapped in music. Unfortunately, the band are under-appreciated -- even in their homeland of Scotland (thankfully, German independent labels, Marina and Wrasse, were impressed enough to release their albums). That explains the band's failure to make a dent commercially and how they have become critics' darlings at the same time.The closest approximation to the sound of The Bathers are fellow Scots The Blue Nile while there are also moments that evoke comparisons to Van Morrison. Thomson and Blue Nile's Paul Buchanan are vocal soul mates in the way their voices animate melancholia. On"Dreamless,"Thomson manages to translate the pain in the lyrics ("Lord that we are in danger / if you could give me a sign / that you can hear me tonight / but you couldn't care less") backed by similarly tortured guitars.Not as sparse as The Blue Nile in their arrangements, The Bathers play it differently by adding lush textures to their music. Guitars sit comfortably side by side with cellos, saxophone, violas, and Thomson's haunting piano leads. Never too ornate, and at times hardly noticeable, they all act as a frame for the centerpiece formed by the lyrics and vocals.Fellow Scots, Belle and Sebastian's Isobel Campbell and Richard Colburn, provide cello and drums respectively. Some of the music transports you to another time where music never ages. Baroque in parts, jazzy in others,"Huntly In Love"is so beautiful it is impossible to place ("I wish love could always be this good / I wish I could wake every day this way / always hold you in my arms / or in bold arabesque sway")."The Captives"merges the same tender pianos with a searing electric guitar, pulling the song out of pop conventions, and yet it isn't overly avant-garde for general consumption.The trio of songs which form Thomson's"Sleeper Fragments"are the album's focal point. Fragment I sets the tone by juxtaposing Thomson's cigarette-soaked mumblings against a French-speaking girl. The album closes with Fragment III which is delightfully epic in all its 13 minutes. Listen closely as the recurring piano motif used in the"Sleeper Fragments"is reprised with an added dash of jazziness, balancing itself against the trumpet and saxophones in front of a faster shuffle from the drums.Not as sad as their"Kelvingrove Baby"album,"Pandemonia"is nonetheless essential. For those who have never loved, and those who have lost their love, and even those still in love, this is to remind yourselves of the transient nature of love and the agony of loss; the hint of infatuation and the loneliness of longing. In fact, this is perfect music for late night contemplation without having to wake the neighbors. But then again, I could just be a hopeless romantic.
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