A 2009-es első, és a 2013-as második albuma (Arrows) után Polly Scattergood és James Chapman (MAPS) OnDeadWaves néven és címmel doóként kiadtak egy érdekes albumot (nyári slágerzene emósoknak? :) ), és most, 2020-ban végre megjelent Polly harmadik szólóalbuma, az In This Moment. Ez már saját kiadásban, mert az OnDeadWaves után Polly és a Mute útjai elváltak. (Polly időközben mama lett, GlennKerrigan-nel született egy kislányuk.)
27 year old British singer/songwriter Polly Scattergood’s artistic sensibilities run much deeper than those of your typical pop artist. Musically and lyrically, her songs are above-average, even on the quote unquote art pop scale. Her talent truly is that remarkable. But, she is not for everyone. (Her first album was criticized by The Guardian for “emotional melodrama.”) If songs concerning depression and love gone bad are too heavy for you, you’ll want to avoid her like the plague. But if you like brutally honest confessionals disguised as pop songs with a bit of sarcastic humor thrown into the mix, then you’re sure to fall in love with this brilliant diamond of an album that is perhaps best compared to Sia’s dark masterpiece Colour The Small One. Arrows, which was co-written by Glen Kerrigan, opens with the warm, down-tempo electro-pop number “Cocoon,” which... ... ... ... Once you’ve finished listening to Arrows, you’re sure to feel a tad bit guilty, as though you’ve just read your mate’s diary without their permission. But you know you won’t be able to stop yourself from reading it again. Ultimately, Arrows is a compelling snapshot of an artist who has found her voice and let it run wild. It’s not for the faint of heart, but listeners who can appreciate sometimes scathing, often self-referential lyrics should find it endearing. I should think the legions who adore Lorde would find it quite blissful."
‘Arrows’ by Polly Scattergood is most certainly one of our favorite albums of the year. No question.
We’ve had a love affair with Polly Scattergood’s music this year, falling charmed to her deep-layered electronic pop that not only touches the soul, but enlightens the spirit and re-ignites the love for the album, when we live in a throw away singles music universe. ‘Arrows’ has such an atmospheric beauty to it that is unparelled and spectacuarly special – beyond anything you might be listening to right now.
In this EQ Music interview with Polly Scattergood, we talk about the ‘Arrows’, how she took inspiration from Suzanne Vega’s ‘Luka’, her tracks ‘Disco Damaged Kid’ and ‘Subsequently Lost’ and the challenges of the new music industry being a young new talent from Kentish Town.
If you haven’t downloaded ‘Arrows’ yet – please do. It’s the perfect album to luxuriate in during this crisp November and December. It’s kept me warm all summer long. Bravo to Mute Records for develping this artist into what she is today."
Album highlight Disco Damaged Kid explores lifes moments of euphoria and slowly climbs and climb, until when you expect it to burst into a high powered chorus of anthemic quality, the urge is resisted and it falls back down again. In terms of songwriting it’s genius and for a writer so young we must all take notice.
Silver Lining insists Polly “feels no pain” but you can’t help feel that there is lots under the skin. Album closer I’ve Got A Heart will tear at your inner soul. Can we hear Polly’s tears? Probably. Superb.
At a time when we are being flooded by second rate 80s sounding wannabes Polly has harnessed the commercial excitement of the era and mixed with her own emotional roller coaster to produce an album which, if there’s any justice, will make everyone sit up and listen.
Put away your Florence wailing and give this girl a listen."
...disturbing noises that sound like some Doctor Who villain.
Wanderlust has some cool synths that The Killers would use, but falls flat as a single. Fortunately, Arrows closes very nicely with I’ve Got A Heart, another down-trodden piano ballad with some obvious pedal pressing. Scattergood is especially exposed here, as she almost talks rather than sings about her life as an artist with lines like ‘I might drink the day away’, ‘I’ve got a soul, as it’s sad as they come’ and ‘keep writing s— until I fall asleep’. Just as listeners are taken by the beauty in Scattergood’s performance and the string section, there’s an overloaded instrument straight out of the end of Radiohead’s Karma Police sounds like a exorcism hidden away in the background.
Despite the odd boring moment, Arrows is a wondrous record that probably would have been therapeutic for Scattergood and takes listeners through different atmospheres, moods and landscapes."
"Polly Scattergood's new album came out yesterday. You can stream it below and find out more about the equipment she used...
Moog
The moog has always has held a special place in my heart. Daniel Miller lent me MUTE'S moog a few years ago to start writing the new album on. Initially I would spend hours perfecting a sound, and then lose it in 10 seconds, I'm getting better slowly! We used the Mini Moog lots on the album - from the white noise falling to the bass line in Wanderlust - it is a truly beautiful instrument.
Polly Scattergood has waited nearly five years to follow up her self-titled debut. That first record, which featured the likes of Other Too Endless, Please Don’t Touch and Nitrogen Pink, was full of kooky, pouted indie tracks. And it really was kooky; while Zooey Deschanelwas busy at work with M Ward, working on their She And Him project, Scattergood was recording the work that sounded more her than anything Deschanel has ever produced.
Her whispered, hushed vocals looked to Kate Bush for inspiration, but the themes and subject matter she tackled were rather more grounded, mapping out the musings of a lost, tortured romantic; the poetry of a confused young girl. But her natural gift for storytelling meant it was as enchanting and mysterious as it was intriguing.
Arrows – released by Mute, who also released her first album – was so long in the making thanks to a severe case of writers’ block, which was apparently cured by a trip to Berlin where, immersed in the city’s notorious electronic scene, she found her voice again. It contains the essential ingrediants of her first effort; the whispered, other worldly vocals still dominate, but now they’re forced to share centre stage with a heavier electro presence.
She’s repositioned herself, looking to Robyn and Niki And The Dove for company, mixing a dancier sound with a dreamy, far away vocal. If anything exemplifies the mission of change she’s undertaking, it was her support slot at this summer’s Goldfrapp show at Somerset House, where she was kitted out like a baby Alison Goldfrapp, strutting across the stage, soaked in glitter. The transformation was something akin to Sophie Ellis Bextor‘s switch from post-britpop indie kid with theaudience to dancefloor diva with Spiller. And Scattergood did it well; she’s a BRIT school graduate, after all.
Similarly to Ellis Bextor’s first dance effort, there are hits and misses, and Arrows is by no means a fully accomplished album. But there are some gems that make it a very listenable collection. And we’re not alone in thinking that; its first single Wanderlust was released back in April and has been remixed by How To Dress Well and Charli XCX. Its sweeping, soaring synths are pitched perfectly; it’s not going to fill a stadium or be chanted by a festival crowd, but it’s a gorgeous burst of summery dreampop.
Disco Damaged Kid is the sharpest reminder of her previous incarnation; the intonation is lifted from Please Don’t Touch and, with her wobbling voice sounding almost on the verge of tears, it’s an emotional listen made more accessible by floaty drum machines and hammered keyboards. Cocoon is of a similar vein; its chorus might play into the hands of those who dismiss her as lightweight – “From my cocoon of angel wings, from my cocoon I’m going to let you in” – but when, a minute or so in, she wails “I’m going to let you in”, things take a much darker turn and, as the track plays out, like a storm imploding around her, she suddenly sounds altogether more serious.
The 10 tracks that make up Arrows will wrap you up, hug you close and tell you stories before placing you back gently, where they left you. They work together to create an engaging record that could so easily have felt self-conscious. Arrows was well worth the wait.
Colchester singer/songwriter Polly Scattergood follows up her 2009 debut album with 'Arrows', a record of dreamy electro-pop and heartfelt ballads that highlights her captivating voice and emotional honesty.
The bold pink 'Polly' on the front cover of Arrows suggests female singer/songwriter Polly Scattergood is looking to make a bigger impression second time round. Her self-titled 2009 debut was a hit with critics, the general consensus being that her searing confessionals and often flighty voice were reminiscent Kate Bush. Of course, such a comparison can only be complimentary but here Scattergood appears eager to establish her own identity away from the hallowed mother of whimsical pop. Okay, the lineage of a song like 'Colours Colliding' may be traced back to 'Cloudbusting', but Arrows wears an electronic pop ensemble that fits Scattergood well, placing her alongside the likes of Little Boots and Marina & the Diamonds and, consequently, in a position to appeal to a wider audience. Whether she can pierce the mainstream remains to be seen, but fans of the debut will be pleased to hear the unique factors that made the singer such an enticing prospect are still in play.
The biggest change is epitomised by 'Disco Damaged Kids', 'Falling' and other songs here which occupy the same heartbreak-on-the-dancefloor space as Robyn - but in a distinctly English way. These are songs to swoon to despite a sadness echoing in the catchy hooks and Scattergood's delivery. When she sings "I subsequently lost my mind, love" on track seven, she does so against a swathe of 80s synths as if her breakup-inspired insanity is something she can only remedy by dancing through it. As a result, this record is sure to strike a chord with anyone crawling out of the wreck of a relationship and looking to move on.
There are a clutch of slower songs that bring the delicacy of Scattergood's voice and the emotional content of her music to the fore, shedding the newfound danceability. 'Machines' is a dreamy ballad that sounds like a broken-hearted spin on 'No Surprises' with a breathy vocal that emphasises the heartache. 'Miss You' and final track 'I've Got a Heart' take it further; the former is a stripped piano ballad where Scattergood sounds on the brink of tears "drowning in this room that you forgot", and the cracked vocal lends emotional honesty to her declaration that "I've got a soul and it's as sad as they come" on the finale. Who needs 'Someone Like You'?
The fragility of Scattergood's voice may even make some listeners uncomfortable, perhaps harming her chances at an Ellie Goulding breakthrough. Lead single 'Wanderlust' is a bit of a 2005-era Goldfrapp rip-off too, not a bad song by any means and a solid entry point but a bit derivative when so much of the album highlights the Colchester lass's best qualities. That Arrows comes out this week, when that singing show pantomime starring Louis Walsh is banging on about 'star quality' and 'new voices', it's a reminder that the stars of tomorrow are waiting to be heard without us needing to turn on our TVs. This is another strong album from another captivating young British female voice, and it will be exciting to see where Scattergood goes next.
A former student of the famous Brit School, Polly is signed to Mute Records, and released her debut eponymous album in March 2009. Polly will be touring to promote "Arrows" over the next year. We were lucky enough to catchup with her to talk to her about her new album and her muscial beginnings.
When did you start playing music?
I have been playing music as long as I can remember. I was brought up in a house where there was a piano always at hand, so I was really lucky in that respect. I started writing songs when I was around 12/13. I started writing on the guitar actually, and as soon as I picked it up I became completely addicted. It was such a great outlet as a teenager just to be able to write these kind of songs. I saved up for ages, and bought myself a little Fender Stratocaster which took me so long to get, and then had to save up again for the amplifier. So yes, that was my first proper instrument and now I write a lot on the guitar, piano and also on the laptop.
When you were at school, learning to play and write music, did you ever take part in the schools orchestra or music groups?
Not really (laughs). I really struggled, if I’m honest, to read music, so I was never invited to join the orchestra because I couldn’t read music. I had the 15 minutes guitar lessons provided by the state a week, but it didn’t really give me enough time to learn and I think maybe, because I was writing my own stuff, maybe I didn’t put enough time into learning to read and write music. I have always worked by ear.
So onto your new album, “Arrows”. I think it sounds very different to your debut back in 2009. How has your sound developed since then?
I am not sure if it’s a huge departure from the first album, for me it’s a step onwards. I keep referring to this album as a very transient album. It started with, “I’ve got a heart” which I wrote in my old little studio attic flat and I suddenly realised that I couldn’t write anymore, and wanted to get out and go on a bit of a journey with this album because I wanted it to sound a bit different. The album kind of took me on a journey, I wanted it to be a little bit less introspective and a bit more about the music I suppose, so I focused on building these instrumentals and really wanted for the songs to be very catchy.
What advice would you give to those musicians who struggle with writers block?
I’m a big believer in a change of scenery to be honest. I remember the first time I had a block and it was when I was a teenager, when I was not feeling good about things in general and just had this massive block. I remember, somebody told me to just leave and go somewhere completely different, don’t worry about it and get a change of scenery because song writing is writing about your feelings and experiences, so if you’re stuck and nothing is coming out, I believe what I need to do is feed myself with those feelings and energy. As an example, I live in London so if I’m struggling to write, I go to galleries and museums. I love going to the Hayward’s gallery because they have really interactive exhibitions. For me, even if a word or a colour pops out, I always feel like I come away from it with an idea in my head.
When releasing your first album, was it difficult to get your album listened to? What advice can you give to people trying to get their music heard?
To be honest, getting yourself heard is one of the hardest things. For me, I was just very, very driven and I think if you want to be a musician, you have to want it and give everything to it. I didn’t really want to do anything other than be a musician. Initially, when I was getting my music out there, and how I met people in the industry, was to write letters and phone all the studios and producers in the directory provided by my music school. I went through starting from A-C and the first person who gave me a meeting was Eddie Levy from Chelsea Music Publishing. I’ll always remember his name.
Thanks for your time today. Finally, what are your thoughts on the Take it away scheme?
It’s about giving everyone a fair chance at having an education. I think the idea of giving people access to instruments is key as the whole process starts with a guitar or a piano, just teaching yourself, having a friend teach you or taking some lessons. I think it’s a great scheme.
