Our Editor-in-Chief took a listen to the recent Sound of Scarborough x Beckview Sessions CD.  Here’s what she thought. 

As an upfront caveat, we don’t normally review recordings here at Yorkshire Coast Gigs, tending to focus on live stuff; but, intrigued by the concept of this particular package of recorded live-streamed performance sessions (which you can also watch online) I have found myself here – trying to find a cd player in a household that’s mostly doing vinyl or streaming. In the end, I have to settle for dusting off my daughter’s old Finding Dory-themed Lexibook. It actually matches the blue and yellow design of the CD and case, in a manner that pleases me very much, so there’s a starter for ten. Indeed, ten tracks, two per each of the five local bands or artists, is the premise here, in a collaboration between Sound of Scarborough and Beckview Studios, generously funded by Two Ridings Community Foundation.

First up is singer-songwriter & guitarist, Billy Nielsen, whose oeuvre ranges across an array of folk, Americana and blues to bluegrass styles. Lights Out showcases his superb guitar skills, along with some bittersweet vocal tones and lyrics. It works on multiple levels of meaning and has a softly anthemic refrain. Australia (Took Our Families Away) epitomises the kind of lyrical storytelling I’m incredibly fond of, narrating a vision of the post-war period when many families and young people emigrated – or in some cases, were forcibly deported – for Antipodean shores; it’s affecting and poignant, as well as superbly performed. Nielsen has a poetic way with historical referencing, charming and disarming with his thoughtfully arranged songs.

Evading Straights own tracks 3 and 4; as a long-time lover of this electronic duo, I’m pleasantly taken aback to find new nuances in these recordings of Antibiotic and Earth People; where I have often sensed the influence of acts like Massive Attack or Sneaker Pimps, here I am made aware of an earthier, rockier vibe too, that takes me back to – bear with me – the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV Series soundtrack album (it was a great album, in case you dare scoff). There are delicate traces of some grungey, female-fronted rock like Bif Naked and Furslide, sewn in alongside the trademark Evading Straights trip-hop, and it’s a heady mix. This duo are currently on sabbatical while they work on some different projects (see: Halflyng, Make a Scene, Sould), but I’ll be eagerly waiting in the wings for their return.

Kinnerz brings some great Hip Hop MC tracks to the mix, his Yorkshire twang refreshing to hear. The flow is strong with this one, with lyricism and rhythmic evocations that seem to blend effortlessly. Kinnerz has a humble vibe that belies the rapidity and intensity of what he delivers. Strength Inside Weakness and Headhunterz (featuring Furbz) showcase different modes of attack, suitably demonstrating an ability to bring the mellow or the feisty, as desired. Set amidst the dystopian soundscape of the latter track, we hear the line, “Using poetry to openly express, I support the cause, but whatever is next?” and it seems to speak more broadly to what this artist is all about. I found myself curious, and had to go check out the video of Strength Inside Weakness being recorded, and I’d recommend you do too – you may be pleasantly surprised to see the range of instruments in use on this dreamy hip-hop mood-booster

Purple Cheesecake bring us to a whole different place, and that place is jazz funk. Their version of Herbie Hancock’s Watermelon Man is playful, beset with bop, and just a little undertone of funk sleaze. Written by Hancock when he was only 22, these young musicians deliver a version with admirable polish and their own fresh twist. As the next track starts, my musically sharp-eared ten-year-old daughter wanders in, and despite this being a solely instrumental take, chimes, “oh, is this the ‘got me tripping’ song?” – as she wonders what on earth I’m doing with her old CD player. Because yes, they also cover Amerie’s One Thing; a song I’ve long been overfamiliar with, due to being the only one in my gang of friends to remember a CD for the hire car in Kos, circa 2005. This was track one; repeated ad infinitum. Did this version here take me back to cocktails and cigars in Stephen’s Bar, to volcanic earth beds and thermal springs? Yes, and no – because the youngsters of the ’cake make this rendition their funktastic, inimitable own. I’ve already compiled a shortlist of other 2000’s R&B tracks that I think would benefit from their fresh take on it; albeit they should probably dread me ever sending it to them.

Closing up this platter of delights is The Danse Society, no less. Refusing to be chained to any single genre, the finely crafted assembly of these tracks is an intense journey. I’ve heard on the grapevine that their process is highly collaborative, and it’s to their credit, as it certainly seems to account for the unique quality of their output. First up, single The Loop is a stunning, ethereal journey of a track; and like a few other songs on this compilation, could present itself as a gloriously good film title track. I can’t help but feel that Divided to the End could be one of those rockier, edgier Bond soundtracks – it even begins with the ghost of a nod to the Pearl and Dean cinema theme, albeit on bass-belting steroids and spinning off into some gloriously gothic avenues. This pairing invites – nay, demands – you to go and listen to the rest of recently released album, The Loop.

It’s gratifying to think sagely to myself that on the one hand, this eclectic selection of local talent still barely scratches the surface of the diversity on offer in the area, and at the same time is a worthy and brilliant keepsake of a moment in time for the local scene. This is mainly gratifying because it might – one can only hope – mean that there is much scope for CD 2 (3, 4, 5…?) at some point in the future. Whether we’ll succumb (let alone be asked) to review future recordings remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt we’ll be listening and enjoying it – as you should certainly do with this one.

Available at the ludicrously low price of £3 (plus £1 P&P if you can’t link up with the Sound of Scarborough peeps around and about to collect one), add this beautiful little package to your CD shelf with haste.  Hit them up via socials or the website.

Other collections of local music produced by Sound of Scarborough over the past couple of years can be found at Revolutions Music and Record Revivals. Do check them out.