We lost the Britpop wars didn't we? Far from infiltrating the mainstream with our stubborn post-punk values, we held our hand sup in surrender. But while we were all getting over-excited at the prospect of Shed Seven appearing on "TOTP", there were still those holding fast to the idea of pleasing themselves. And if you ever needed testament to such old-school values, "Peloton" the second album from Chemikal Underground owners The Delgados, is it.
Instead of fretting about breaking America and midweek chart positions, The Delgados, who take their name from cycling hero Pedro Delgado, simply mark out a rough territory with pearly pop melodies and then let the adventurous spirit of "Sgt Pepper" run round the middle. You could mention The Breeders and My Bloody Valentine, but they don't even start to convey how "Peloton" forces itself to create something startling from mundane. These dignified songs seemingly reinvent themselves in real time: odd structures, snatched guitar patterns, strange noises, samples, swirling strings, cut-ups and abrupt changes all serving to create something wonderfully odd.
"Clarinet" for instance, starts out as the simplest, gentlest lilt. Then it twists the knife with impossibly beautiful, mechanically clipped guitar parts and chilling gusts of strings. By contrast, the closing tracks - "Russian Orthodox" and "The Weaker Argument Defeats The Stronger" - mix wonderfully queasy, droning, MBV-esque guitars with the most fragile and deliciously wayward of multiple melodies. Bring into play singers Alun Woodward and Emma Pollock, both perfectly suited to the album's air of doleful, but reassuringly sane, dissatisfaction and you have a very special record on your hands.
As adventurous as "Push The Button", as relevant to your life as "This Is Hardcore", Peloton proves The Delgados were right along. Now go and apologise. [4/5]
TONY NAYLOR
N.M.E.
It's the quiet ones you've got to look out for...
There's Glasgow's Delgados, the wily capitalists behind Chemikal Underground Records, patrons of Bis, Mogwai, Arab Strap and their clattery brethren, and you rarely hear anything about them. While their charges have been wooing the nation with their exotic sounds, The Delgados have kept an admirably low profile, calmly piecing together material for this, their second album.
Some things, however, are too good to keep under wraps. 'Peloton', as superb a record as the British indie underground is likely to produce this year, seems set to blow the cover off the sinister and magical world of twin singers Emma Pollock and Alun Woodward. This is a record of mighty intelligence, formidable instinct and cracking tunes - The former Single Of The Week 'Everything Goes Around The Water' to the schismatic apocalypse of 'The Weaker Argument Defeats The Stronger'.
The genius of 'Peloton' lies in its infinite variety. Within the context of their fairly basic two-guitars-bass 'n' drums format, The Delgados touch so many bases with such aplomb that you'll be amazed to hear that they aren't really The Vaselines, Belle & Sebastian and the Incredible String Band Rolled into one. Almost every track sounds like two fantastic songs being played at once, and occasionally, like on tape cut-up ballad 'Blackpool', even three or four. But fear not, for while this is as ambitious and intriguing a record as you could hope to hear, this is not some scary avant-garde opus - this is a pop record made by evil bastards whose dedication to that post-punk spirit of wilful creativity reduces the ambitions of too many of their contemporaries to smouldering ashes.
The Delgados have been modest, self-effacing field mice for far too long. Let's help them buy a helicopter. [9/10]
JIM WIRTH
Select
The self-produced follow up to 1996's debut album 'Domestiques'. Released on their own label, home also to Arab Strap and Mogwai.
These things go in cycles. With a generation in place who were brought up on their old dears' hippy vinyl, the neo-folk revolution was just a matter of time. And, Belle And Sebastian dropped at every turn, Ben Lee making waves with his acoustic and Gomez gaining recognition for their rootsy rock, that time seems to be now.
As rudimentary in parts as PJ Harvey's 'Dry' album, 'Peloton' has the enviable ability to summon melodies out of thin air - as on 'Pull The Wires From The Wall'. Where Arab Strap have a tendency to clash occasional boy/girl vocals, The Delgados have achieved a balance, as evidenced by 'Everything Goes Around The Water'. And where B&S tend to the archly camp, 'Peloton' is imbued with a sense of majesty in place of the tongue-in-cheek. A mighty prospect. [4/5]
EMMA MORGAN
The List - 11th June, 1998
If you too had The Delgados down as a bunch of lo-fi chancers who happened to run a pretty cool record label, then here comes an album to kick your complacent arse.
Eschewing that obscurer-than-thou creed much loved of Glasgow's indie-shmindie fraternity, Peloton truly reeks of ambition. Creatively speaking. From cosmic lullabies with orchestral strings attached ('Everything Goes around The water', 'the actress') to sonic confusion with cat-worrying properties ('Repeat Failure'); The delgados's second long player is pop with an exclamation mark. Biff, bang, pow.
Joy, ennui, sexual intrigue, pleasure beaches, existentialism, bicycles - all life is here, or maybe this is just another collection of songs about chocolate and girls/boys. A sweet mystery either way. If it's references you require, then go visit a library. Okay, there's a dash of Throwing Muses, a soupcon of Luna, a wink in the direction of the velvet Underground; a damned fine record in other words. John Peel lauds them as the best band in Britain right now, but let us not be too hasty. One suspects their best is yet to come. [4/5]
MOJO - June 1998
Indie Album Of The Month
Arty Glaswegians once described by John peel as 'the best band in Britain'. Follow-up to their 1996 debut Domestiques.
The Delgados own and run Chemikal underground, so administrative duties tend to eat into their studio time. Lately, Arab Strap and Mogwai have been the label's ambassadors for innovation, but Peloton is a reminder of the artistry of CU's prime movers./ the Sonic Youth-influenced thrash-pop of Domestiques is now giving way to a more detailed sonic palette featuring baroque flute, the odd sample, and strings galore. Each song's arrangement offers a unique twist and as Emma Pollock and Alun woodward swap lead vocal duties, their heavily sedated tones have a palliative effect on the listener.
Pollock's unchained melody on 'Pull The Wires From The Wall' is particularly impressive. The song's acoustic guitar and cello intro evoke Kristen Hersh, but there's also a hint of Marianne Faithfull in Pollock's scarred but sussed delivery. Most gripping, though, is Blackpool, a sinister travelogue in which time-signature changes are negotiated by a bizarre, aural backflip which both delights and confuses the ear. Stirling stuff.
James McNair.
Scotland On Sunday - June 1998
The masterminds behind Glasgow’s hippest indie label since Postcard, The Delgados release an album worthy of the sloganeering. It’s a winning mix of American influences – Sebadoh and Pavement in particular, effortlessly blended with a Glaswegian ear for off-kilter pop melody. Understated, seductive tunes draw you into the Delgados’ world of wistful melancholy. "Pull the Wires from the Wall" is a brilliantly titled slab of low-key tension. The group’s confidence has escalated from their 1996 debut, their potential fully realised in one of the finest Scottish albums in recent memory.
Colin Sommerville