The Seventeenth Century, Lo-Five Records (25/01/10)

Reading the press release, it would be easy to worry about what was about to follow.

The Seventeenth Century cite their Influences as ‘Baroque... the works of J.S. Bach, Vivaldi and Handel as well as artists such as The Beach Boys... and The Velvet Underground’.

It all sounds like a retirement home for the terminally pretentious.

Thankfully, what comes out of the speakers is not a mixing pot of these inspirations. Title track and opener, Notes, showcases everything this band does so well; an infectious, haunting and powerful Glaswegian vocal, orchestral trumpet and violins, and an uplifting, mood-controlling near-epic over-all sound.

The other stand-out track here however, Young Francis, while admittedly being more of the same (which may be a small criticism of this band, it’s all pretty linear), is the stuff of a band that are deserving of hype.

There’s always a risk with The Seventeenth Century of their rousing Medieval folk descending into outlandish levels of pretence (it wouldn’t take much for it to deliver images of pasty-skinned women preening coyly over yonder and precious little else). But with Arcade Fire-esque crescendos and echo-laden harmonies, The Seventeenth Century manage to stay just the right side of Liam Neeson in Rob Roy territory. It sounds genuine, and that provides the foothold.

Occasional driving marching drums provide structure, thankfully, at vital moments when it threatens to be a bit too Jethro Tull.

Notes EP is an interesting and impressive first shot from The Seventeenth Century. It would be interesting to see how much further they can experiment with a full length release.

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