A Scottish chamber folk quartet who built their sound around an antique Victorian pedal harmonium, Modern Studies offer up an enchantingly bucolic debut which was recorded at a rural Perthshire studio called Pumpkinfield. Steeped in the dusky essence of vintage U.K. folk, but flying the flag of forward-leaning experimentalism, Swell to Great is a winsome set, suffused with ample layers and small details. The band's genesis centers around Glaswegian singer/songwriter Emily Scott and her decision to donate the creaky 6-foot-tall harmonium that was dominating her small flat to her friend Pete Harvey's studio. Before parting with it, she penned a set of songs that eventually led to an assemblage of collaborators including Joe Smillie, Rob St. John, and Harvey himself. With the old organ now living at Pumpkinfield, a new band coalesced around it and the four friends began arranging Scott's gentle songs into pastoral chamber folk gems with drums, cellos, analog synths, and subtle textural elements. One of the most appealing things about Modern Studies is their surprisingly rich vocal presence. Scott's airy voice is certainly at the core of these beautifully written songs, but more often than not, the entire group is featured in warm, resonant harmonies that truly transform the arrangements. "Today's Regrets," a mid-album standout, recalls the deep choral traditions similarly championed a few years prior by fellow Scots Crying Lion. Other highlights, like the gorgeous "Father Is a Craftsman" and "Bottle Green," both have a dreamy folk-pop character that is immediately appealing and pleasantly tuneful. Swell to Great is a charmer for sure, playing well front-to-back and begging for repeated spins.
© Timothy Monger /TiVo