"To The Pine Roots"
(Black Records)
five / ten
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IAIN ARCHER "To The Pine Roots" (Black Records)
five / ten |
It's hard to be objective about anyone who consorts or cola-borates with the purveyors of mind boggling mediocrity that are Snow Patrol, but to be fair to Iain Archer everyone has bills to pay, and as co-author of their smash album Final Straw he won't be getting last notices from the gas company anytime soon.
Though the Bangor native can claim to have part created a monster selling release, as a solo artist he has struggled to achieve even one percent of that level of success. Sadly for him his new album is unlikely to change the state of play.
The effort that has gone into To The Pine Roots is quite obvious; crafted in a cottage in the Black Forest in Germany, Archer has put everything within his musical arsenal into it. However, despite the many fine flourishes of finger picking loveliness on display and the softly-softly approach to his vocals it just never gets going. Opener 'Acrobat' promises much, its folky tendencies reminiscent of Elliott Smith. Anyone who cares enough to look for positives elsewhere would be best advised to check out the chorus on 'Songbird', or perhaps 'Frozen Lake', which is comfortably the best song on the album.
Iain Archer's ambitions are clearly to be admired; the aforementioned traces of Elliott Smith, along with the blatant Nick Drake B-Side that is 'Streamer On A Kite', suggest he wants to reach for the stars. However, with very few moments that will wake the listener out of a slumber he can expect to stay on the margins. Still, at least those Snooze Patrol royalty checks will help him see out the recession.
Alan Morrissey
www.myspace.com/iainarcher
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