At Swim Two Birds :: Returning to the Scene of the Crime

Artist: At Swim Two Birds
Album: Returning to the Scene of the Crime
Label: Vespertine & Son
Year: 2007

As one half of The Montgolfier Brothers, Roger Quigley has dazzled with some lovely, sweet melancholic tunes. His solo work is another kettle of fish altogether though; resorting to grittier language and uncomfortable scenarios. So now we have 'Returning To The Scene Of The Crime...', a collection of older Quigley tracks re-interpreted as he now sees them.

True to form, the mood is hardly light for opening track 'In Bed With Your Best Friend' as Quigley effortlessly recalls the feeling of regret after a night of drinking perhaps a little too much ("And I swear I was drunk, I can't believe the depths to which I've sunk") whilst 'Giggling Fits' promises "never to mention the names of past girlfriends. I'm over them now, for the time being I think". As well as removing the prettiness and twinkling instrumentation (songs are largely acoustic-based), one of the main differences between The Montgolfier Brothers and Quigley's solo project is that so many of these songs leave a bitter taste in the mouth as one unloving relationship is documented after another. Now more than ever, Quigley is capturing the kitchen sink dramas; there's even a song called 'A Kind Of Loving', which is presumably inspired by the Alan Bates-starring film of the same name. Naturally, as well as the downbeat poetry, Quigley picks out some fine tunes too (the doleful 'Wine Destroys The Memory' perhaps the best of them) but the stripped-back, inescapably bleak outlook doesn't make for easy listening.
- leonardslair.co.uk