Spoils

One-time member of the Scottish group Appendix Out, Alasdair Roberts has spent five solo albums balancing between traditional Scottish folk songs and his own modern interpretations of their traits with his own songwriting. His voice quavers with the fragility of a rustic farmhand who, worn from a day in the field, can do little but mourn the rigors of the working life. However, for Spoils, Roberts plugs into the 21st Century, adding electric guitars, harpsichords, and solid walloping drums until his barn-room band can kick out if not the jams at least a few cows. Violins sweeten the mood for ‘Under No Enchantment (But My Own)” and “Ned Ludd’s Rant (For a World Rebarbarised”) builds on Roberts’ own joy in allowing the word “Rebarbarised” repeat from his tongue with a vague sense of menace. It’s both traditional and unusual music, glockenspiels and harmoniums sawing through these tales of ancient woes and modern inconveniences. “Hazel Forks” could’ve been written a century ago but it's performed with its ears on tomorrow.