Love the Cup [Original recording remastered]

Sons and Daughters, Sons And Daughters | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 7, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Domino
• ASIN: B0002VEPC6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,554 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

When Love the Cup was released on the esteemed Ba Da Ding! label back in January, those lucky enough to hear it - including legendary critic Greil Marcus - found themselves charmed & intrigued by this debut release from the Scottish quartet. What appealed was the sheer intensity & potent mix of styles featured on Love the Cup's seven tracks. Drawing from Scottish & American folk, fused with an array of blues, funk, country, & rock'n'roll, Sons & Daughters create songs with a dark, spatial & brooding atmosphere. Whilst pounding rhythms, understated melodies & pulsing guitar lines form the framework, the interweaving vocals of Adele Bethel & Scott Paterson lend the songs a sense of drama & underlying menace.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars S&D kick my face in., June 22, 2004

By 

Benjamin W. Olson (Fort Walton Beach, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love the Cup (Audio CD)

Stripped-down rock'n'roll brimming with celtic rage. This disc is worth it just for "La Lune" -- the mandolin tinkles eerily over slow-burn call-and-answer vocals, relentless drum and bass, and sparing, not-quite-tuned guitar. Primal inspiring stuff. Go see them live as soon as you can, too; they're currently touring with Franz Ferdinand, which makes for a nice double bill of pub fury and dance hall goofiness.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the 10 best CDs of 2004, January 18, 2005

By 

Bill O'Neill (Hyannis, Mass.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love the Cup (Audio CD)

Sometimes less is more. Sons and Daughters, a quartet of experienced Scots (including two former members of Arab Strap) are expected to put out a full-length CD in 2005, but the band will have a tough time topping this seven-song, 25-minute debut disc. Putting a country twist on the garage-rock minimalism of the White Stripes, Sons and Daughters gives you a sense of what might have happened if Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash had recorded an album after spending a few months listening to nothing but PJ Harvey CDs.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You're my blood, November 19, 2005

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love the Cup (Audio CD)

Sons and Daughters have performed with some pretty big names in indie rock, with Decemberists, the Fiery Furnaces and fellow Scots Franz Ferdinand. What do these bands have in common? Aside from sharing a nationality with Franz Ferdinand.... absolutely nothing.

This energetic Scottish band debuted with "Love the Cup," which let the world have a taste of their music, with the energy of a volcanic garage band and the infectious sound of Celtic folk gone punk. There really isn't any other band with a comparable sound.

It kicks off with a dancing drum beat, joined by a droning guitar and sinuous female vocals. "Fight" levels out into a sort of bombastic folk that is rough, dancey and intense, enough that getting into it is exhausting. Yes, as you can guess, it's about a fight. But somehow it never sounded so appealing.

They quiet down a bit from there on, but that simmering sound is always about ready to erupt. No, "Johnny Cash" sounds nothing like the late man in black's work, and it doesn't focus on him, but it is the peak of this album -- tightly played, with razor-sharp guitars and explosive singing by Scott Paterson.

A few songs even reflect the Celtic folk roots of this band, with soft acoustic guitar, mandolin and a tambourine. Guitarist/singer Adele Bethel sounds softer and more relaxed in these songs. Then it's back to the bluesy, folky rock'n'roll, whisky-soaked and ready to throw a punch.

It's a long EP, and well-worth buying for the price tag it has, since every song here is worth listening to. "Love the Cup" has no fillers, no cutesiness, no pretensions, no trends, and no slick appeals for radioplay. It's just a rough, raw slice of rock'n'roll.

Anyone who has heard Celtic folk will recognize the jiggy rhythms that make you want to dance, with handclaps, sharp drums and fast riffs. But this is not cheery music, with its sparsely-worded lyrics about fighting, death and melancholy. It's ominous and rough, and it makes you feel that way even as you tap your feet to it.

This is also one of those bands that harmonizes male and female vocals. Bethel is paired with Paterson, who usually does backing harmony. He does lead in one song, with Bethel bursting in in the middle. And harmonization becomes dizzying as they sing "You're in my blood/blood/my blood," their voices interplaying beautifully.

Anyone who loves raw, pure rock'n'roll will be bowled over by the debut EP for Sons and Daughters. "Love the Cup"? Oh yeah, lads and lasses.