Moving Up Country

As the hype behind a new acoustic movement gathers pace and anyone who picks up a non-electric guitar finds themselves dubbed a folk singer, the emergence of Edinburgh based James Yorkston is something of a relief.

Yorkston’s music is for the most part downbeat and melancholic, but given a sweeping beauty by the combination of pianos, guitars, strings and percussion. Recorded in a remote cottage in the Scottish borders, the liberty from the standard studio approach is evident in the album’s freewheeling spirit.

Yorkston himself spins his tales of loving and losing in a languid, casual manner – at times reminiscent of the lo-fi US rock bands that we normally associate with Domino. Throughout, though, his range of influences make their presence subtlety felt – a touch of Americana here, a spot of Irish romanticism there, a lot of English singers from Nick Drake to Anne Briggs. Moving Up Country is an absolutely fine way by which to introduce this exciting talent.