BRIDIE JACKSON AND THE ARBOUR

It’s one thing when a band comes forward with a ‘new’ genre of music; it’s another when a band offers something timeless. Newcastle’s Bridie Jackson And The Arbour may not be serving up the hottest dish of hipster tunes, but they do know how to pen songs of a refined and classical nature – duly recognised by BBC 3, national press and beyond. No song could better demonstrate this talent than the 4-piece’s latest single, ‘Scarecrow’ (released as a double A-side).

Bridie Jackson has a voice of crystalline quality not unlike that of Feist’s and, if truth be told, her arresting vocal is the song’s centrepiece. Armoured with Leonard Cohen-style lyrics, Jackson sings from the grave about dying just before her wedding day. With the mischievous piano loop, rumbling cello and dark, Celtic strings, ‘Scarecrow’ emits a black humour that creeps into your every fibre and doesn’t leave. Chamber-pop harmonies ring out unaccompanied at the end and, although the track is over, the drama is residual. An ominous and beautiful single that will haunt many others to come.

Words by Charlotte Krol

Tip courtesy of Joe Sparrow from A New Band A Day