The Pearlfishers - Open Up Your Colouring Book (2014)

Classic pop in 2014: the return of the Scottish band. After a long break, seven years have passed since the album Up With The Larks (2007) and there is a new sign of life from the Glasgow band around David Scott. Their seventh work for the German label Marina Records is of truly epic proportions, Open Up Your Coloring Book is a 67-minute journey across 16 tracks with sophisticated arrangements, complex vocal harmonies and extraordinary key changes. In 2014, David Scott (who has meanwhile been active for BMX Bandits, Isobel Campbell, Norman Blake and Bill Wells) proves: classical pop music lives! It starts with the opener Diamanda: It's a beautiful day, so get out of bed how do you want to be woken up more nicely? To The Northland continues with full-sounding acoustic guitars and a brass section. And The Last Days Of September impresses with Chren la Midlake meets Mamas & Papas. Other names to drop: Bobbie Gentry, Todd Rundgren, Jimmy Webb, Ennio Morricone and Dennis Wilson. The gatefold LP comes with a CD.