I've been keeping tabs on Glasgow's Father Sculptor ever since I heard they would be supporting Spector at King Tut's on one of the Scottish legs of the latter's recent UK headline tour. The unveiling of Father Sculptor's debut single 'Ember' has seen other blogs expectedly jump on them this week but while they remain baffled as to the band's identity, I can shed some light below.
As ever, I'm no fan of bands attempting to hide all aspects of their identity. Less might be more but nothing is still nothing. Although I'm in two minds as to whether they have deliberately left clues for us to uncover. Either way, it's always the songs that are of paramount importance and even with their early recordings, Father Sculptor have crafted a superb soundscape of widescreen melancholia.
In fact, there's a touch of the poster boys of identity withdrawal, WU LYF, in the compelling sound of 'Ember', while the previous demos are a little more reminiscent of Jesus & The Mary Chain - especially on the thundering 'Velvet Fall'. There's a consistent whiff of Morrissey in the vocals, perhaps unsurprising when members of the band used to be in The Smiths-inspired outfit Johnny Reb.
If the breadcrumbs they have/haven't left are accurate then at least two members of Johnny Reb have teamed up again - Philip Hunter and Felix Bucklow, who is also quite probably the man behind their artwork. As for the other members, well, I shall continue my Sherlock-esque investigations. In the meantime, enjoy the excellent early material from Father Sculptor below.
STREAM: Ember by Father Sculptor
Keep up to date at fathersculptor.com. 'Ember' is released on 16 April '12.
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