Posted on December 21, 2008 - by Halina Rifai

Yahweh – Tug Of Love

The album arrived bound with string in brown paper and stamped with the Yahweh emblem. Contained within was the original and consuming album cover designed by Cat Utting. It is so rare nowadays that albums are so lovingly packaged, but by God is it a blessing when it arrives and creates euphoria on your face.

I rarely talk about production when I write about music (ironic as it is what I studied) but for a debut, the production on this album is superb. It is so rounded and impressive especially on tracks like ‘The Wee Ending’ that I was hard pushed to believe it was by an artist as new as this.

‘The Wee Ending’ was the track that sealed me ordering this album. An almost techno beat encompasses a naïve guitar and a broad Scottish, handsome vocal. A love song of sorts and like love something that you become so addicted to that you become obsessed. I will never tire of this track; it is one of the best tracks to the tale end of this year I have had the pleasure of hearing. It is the flipside to the track ‘The Alternative Ending’ that cleverly takes one song and broadens your senses in two completely divergent ways. It is like love; on one hand you have the gut wrenching angst, guilt and pain but on the other you have the beautiful, joyous and certain intensity that is cocaine to our souls.

Lewis Cook

‘The King of Hillhead’, a tale of Glasgow and one that you would not expect to hear on this album. A complete and utter breath of fresh air with its breakbeat drum beat, droning keys and whining guitar. Fast becoming another favourite on this album it is a soundtrack to a city that illustrates exactly how monumental the talent it is producing.

‘Laps(e)’ has the potential of being an almighty song amongst people. Sufjan Stevens would quite happily steal this song for his album, a muddle of instruments that produce a track that is paradisiacal. What I love most about the lyrics is that they are as simple as telling us a day in his life, under complicated and over exquisite. ‘Tug of Love’ is an album that is wonderful, from its static vinyl sounds to its chiming bells and from its familiar vocals to its patriotic beats. It is an album that makes you proud to live in a country that boasts its endowment. Amour, my word it produces so many different treasures in so many forms. If this album is not one of the most talked about debuts of 2009 then I will be so very saddened. ‘Tug of Love’ is a truly remarkable introduction.

www.myspace.com/thisisyahweh

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