White Heath – Take No Thought For Tomorrow

This Edinburgh-based quintet layer dark, sombre ballads with a diverse range of live instrumentation, incorporating strings, guitar, trombone and piano. Accordingly, the textures of the pieces range from understated, sparse ornamentation (see opener Maker) to bombastic crescendos that draw upon folk-rock influences (When the Watchmen Leave Their Stations). Sean Watson's vocals won't be to everyone's taste, although they have a certain charm and provide a striking contrast to the instrospective, morbid tenor of much of the lyrics.

Take No Thought for Tomorrow is White Heath's first record, and the songwriting is rough around the edges in places: Election Day, for example, is rather bland, jaunty guitar pop, the kind of song that needs a more assured hand to steer away from cliché. For the most part, though, Tomorrow is the sound of a Scottish indie outfit trying to cast their net around an impressively broad range of influences, and for that they deserve credit.