Before they called it quits in 2005, the Delgados eased up on the swirling orchestral-rock arrangements they inherited from the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev, whose Dave Fridmann produced both 2000's The Great Eastern and 2002's Hate. The Scottish quartet's relatively stripped-down swan song, Universal Audio, suggests they were concerned Fridmann's strings 'n' things were threatening to overwhelm their modest indie-pop songwriting. This solo debut by Emma Pollock, one of the Delgados' two singer-guitarists, isn't quite the plain-Jane affair you'd therefore expect. "New Land" opens with a bombastic circus-organ intro, and the pounding pianos in "Adrenaline" illustrate what the Delgados picked up by covering ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky" for a 2003 Peel Session. Still, despite the somewhat misleading title, Watch the Fireworks is a scrappier and smaller-scale production than any Delgados record (Universal Audio included). In pretty folk-pop lullabies "Limbs" and "This Rope's Getting Tighter," Pollock keeps the focus on her acoustic guitar and sexy-sandpaper vocals, while "Acid Test" throbs with the lean, all-ages energy of great mid-'90s UK acts like Bis and Huggy Bear. Although the tunes tend toward the forgettable, and definitely lack the sweet-and-sour male-female chemistry Pollock and Alun Woodward built the Delgados' music around, she's got enough charm to keep you from tuning out for too long.
*indicates required fields. Please enable browser cookies before filling out this form. All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use. By clicking Add Comment, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms.
Comments may take a few minutes to process and appear on the site. Please do not click the "Add Comment" button again while your comment is being added.
Last Concert CafeHouston, TX |
BrasilHouston, TX |
AgoraHouston, TX |
Onion CreekHouston, TX |
Hotel ZazaHouston, TX |
House of BluesHouston, TX |
