The Delgados Reviewed
The Delgados
The Complete BBC Peel Sessions
(Transdreamer)
The Delgados will ultimately be remembered more for their contributions to ’90s Scottish indie infrastructure than their music, unjust as it might be.
Instrumental to their peers by forming the Chemikal Underground imprint, The Delgados somehow became the most underrated band among them, even when they could easily have promoted themselves the most. This posthumous collection — which includes some non Peel Sessions — is a fine substitute for a “best of” and a generous trove of would-be hits. Most frequently compared to Yo La Tengo, The Delgados’ melancholy pop translates well through the poor quality of the early radio portions (“Lazarwalker,” “Primary Alternative”) when the birds of youth were still fighting through the mix. As time passes, however, and material from what would become the Peloton and Great Eastern albums takes focus, then does the songwriting come together and the performances not really matter.
“Everything Goes Around The Water” is like a bobber being tugged around the surface by a guppy; Emma Pollack and Alun Woodward sing independently yet extremely mindful of one another. Pollack is one of the handful of female vocalists who can capture a song without ever raising her voice, a feat “Pull The Wires From The Wall” and “I Fought The Angels” bear out again and again. The covers (Electric Light Orchestra to Scot bard Ewan McColl; Dead Kennedys to Cat Stevens) shed some light on their elusive, rock-crit sensibilities, but it’s their originality that deserves the attention.
— Steve Forstneger
