Scottish indie jangly guitar based pop band The Bluebells shone brightly between 1981 and 1986 and infrequently thereafter but are very much prevalent today. They released a new album after thirty years in 2023 and just like buses we have another one `This Is…The Bluebells` released this month.
The Bluebells emerged in Glasgow in 1981 during the Postcard Records era. After appearing on The Old Grey Whistle Test BBC show and touring with Haircut 100, they attracted major label interest and signed to London Records. “The main idea behind ‘This is… The Bluebells’ was for the three original Bluebells, Robert ‘Bobby Bluebell’ Hodgens and McCluskey Brothers David and Ken, to write collaboratively with longtime friends and live band members Campbell Owens (Aztec Camera), Douglas MacIntyre (Port Sulphur/Creeping Bent), and Mick Slaven (The Leopards). The band had become a finely-tuned unit over the previous ten years, performing all over the country but we had never really captured the live feel that we had created as a collective at gigs. To follow this up we felt that with right studio and producer we could capture our true live sound. Enter Ian Smith at Last Night from Glasgow who pointed us in the direction of Airdrie and to Stuart MacLeod at Beetroot Studios. We set out to write a set of songs collaboratively that would suit the live environment and vibe created in the studio as well as represent what we were about. We are very satisfied with the recording of the sixteen songs on this album and we feel ‘This is… The Bluebells’ is a very apt title.”
`Sing Like Little Birds Sing` leads us in and it`s reflective and questioning and for me had a slight Byrds vibe. Birds sing as a communication tool used primarily by male birds to attract mates and this appears to have a similar sentiment. We have in `What I See Up On The Roof’ a faster paced meditative offering and the use of a view from above could maybe be a metaphor where you notice things from afar that you can`t from close up.
`No Pasaran!` is an anti-fascist slogan that has taken on a new significance in the Ukraine crisis. The track is inspired by the anti-fascist movement of the Spanish Civil War and addresses the current growth of right-wing ideology. A gentle offering that gets an important viewpoint across without being overly preachy. I read that `A Monochrome Set` was inspired by how technology influences our communication. One day our memories were in black and white, then suddenly the world was in colour. A sentiment that I share as I head towards my seventh decade on this planet.
`You’re Leaving` is a mid-paced reflection on a parting but the narrator doesn`t seem overly bothered by this almost inevitable turn of events. The implication of `Indian Summer` is enjoying a period of unseasonably warm, dry, and calm weather occurring in autumn, and this tender submission has music that reflects that joyful and at times too brief a feeling. I loved the addition of a tin whistle.
`The Fishing Song` is a feel good number which encourages us to just go with the flow and head off on a road trip even just for a day. There was a Faces `Ooh La La` opening to `See What The Morning Brings` which had a wonderfully uplifting positive vibe and some gorgeous backing harmonies.
`Days of the Revolution` was an absorbed composition with a tinge of disappointment about maybe when you felt you one time you had a cause to fight for a purpose but was anything really achieved. There`s a slight George Harrison contemplative vibe towards the end with some sweet band harmonies. I thought that `Art School` was delightfully trippy with its quietly shook tambourine and intricate guitar chords and dreamy keys/ synth tones.
`Trouble Talking` is further trippy offering that had a kind of Donovan feel, laid back and mellow. The harmonica hues added a certain poignancy to the track as well. A guiding funky bass line and nigh on remote vocals lead us into and through `Dream On Side`. It’s sort of abstract and offers a slight reggae hint with chugging keys and that echoey dub drum groove.
`Take Me To The Dance Floor` is rockier and although on the surface it appears quite simple, it`s a real foot tapper of a number. A rare spelling variant of the feminine given name Jane comes with `Jaine`, which originates from Hebrew and means “God is gracious”. The song is a mix of Country rock and power pop and is an exaltation or appreciation of a significant other, partner or companion. It brought to me the sadly lamented band Rockpile, which in my opinion is no bad thing.
`In Our Time` is fairly ruminative and studious and has an almost stream of consciousness in the lyrical content. The final cut is the slightly melancholic `One More Day` a sentimental nostalgicreminiscence and a thoughtful number to ease us out on.
I have to say I really loved this album. It felt like catching up with an old friend who you don`t see very often and the ease of being in their company. This fifty odd minutes was like medicine that alleviates all you ailments and will improve your quality of life. I suggest you imbibe it regularly.
Rating 9/10
