Album Review

Potential Strangers – Just In Case I Die

• 19th Oct 2010

Potential Strangers are a law to themselves. Doleoin sings of sin, love and relationships, set with a gentle calming aura of acousitic and natural twining. This graceful and soft music comes from the heart of Harris, but can be found out and about Glasgow. He is influenced by both heavenly and earthly father to Buddy Holly and Tom Waits, some would say this is the perfect combination of wonder.

This manifests itself in ‘Losing You’, the opener to the demo Just In Case I Die. It is not the happiest of tracks, but then it is never going to be. It would not be right; after all there is grief about leaving the homeland and finding home in the seemingly faceless “B Block 2”. There is real anger, but anger about the wonder of emotions too complex to understand in one line. The scene is very much northern Scotland on some desolate, wind and rain lashed beach.

‘Dirty Hands’ is an altogether more raucous affair, the same acoustic charm but with the all the bells and whistles you might expect from a reel, rocking jig. Kirsty MacIntyre accompanies and adds a certain tone to the song which would otherwise be lost, perhaps. The harmonica adds the urgency of a rock ‘n’ roll classic stable. A story of “a saint and a sinner” who is worried about breaking the delicate nature of balance as “I’d hold you, but I’d fear I’d lose you/And in my arms these hands would only bruise you”.

An Gairm is a stomper, rebuked by traditionalists, but treasured by those with taste. Sounding like a classic Clap Your Hands Say Yeah track with its exciting, pulsating rhythm and musical arrangements. Also, there is lyrical magic with part being sung in Gaelic and some in English, cultural as well as relevant.

There are some gigs with Potential Strangers coming soon; if you go you will not be disappointed.