Rebecca Taylor has stressed in interviews promoting this album that, while familiar sounds have a self-evident appeal, herself and musical partner Charles Watson have taken care not to step too far into “retro” territory on Complete Surrender. Mission accomplished then, as they build on the more ambitious moments of their previous two LPs and confidently cut their (tweed) ties with the dreaded twee-folk movement. Instead of polite sentiment over maudlin English guitars, we get Northern soul-baring, along with country and Motown-influenced moves, all given a 2014 makeover.
The opening brace of ‘Tears Of Joy’ (Suburbs-era Arcade Fire covering the Jersey Boys soundtrack) and ‘Everything Is New’ makes for a superb start. On ‘Suffering You, Suffering Me’ there’s a convincing world weariness in Taylor’s clear-as-a-bell voice, but the refrain is predictable. ‘The Queen’s Nose’, a slice of choreographed waltzing country, eventually outstays its welcome.
Things improve when Watson’s voice – somewhere between Oberst and O’Brien – returns to join Taylor’s. ‘The Pieces’ has radio airplay written all over it and the title track delivers an endorphin rush in cool-as-you-like fashion. Even better, on the smouldering ‘Dependable People And Things That I’m Sure Of’, Taylor relaxes into Karen Carpenter tenderness; the countrified ‘Not Mine To Love’, meanwhile, seems like a modern standard straight off the bat.
Epic closer ‘Wandering Wandering’ is the sound of a band completely comfortable in its own skin. Their trademark harmonies and the deft hand of producer Colin Elliott serve them well and, blips aside, Slow Club ultimately stamp their authority on Complete Surrender.
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