Emma Pollock - Watch The Fireworks Album Review

Emma Pollock
Watch The Fireworks
Album Review

Seven albums (eight if you include The Peel Sessions) down the line with The Delgados and a couple of years after there split, Emma Pollock is ready to embark on her solo career. Watch The Fireworks is the first piece of work to come from Emma Pollock, which is set to kick off her life as a solo artist.

It is always a scary thing to, give it a go as a solo artist because now if you have a bad day in the studio there is only yourself to pick you up, where as before there was always your band mates. Some artists thrive on this aspect others just fade away into nothingness.

The album kicks off with New Land, if it was just left as an instrumental sounds like she has taken her ideas from the Musical Cats, but the strange thing as that she transforms the song into her own unique style with her vocals.

The one thing that Emma Pollock has above a lot of other artists that have found themselves going it alone is the simple fact she is a singer songwriter. You get a sense of feeling through her songs because you know that she has created these from scratch. Acid Test has some real energy yet again though her vocals give a totally different direction to it. How can a song have so much energy, but at the same time feel so relaxing.

Enter the piano (but not in the Coldplay, predictable way) that just gives off again great energy and in the shape of Adrenaline you sense the intensity within this song, but not negative intensity.

The one thing that Emma Pollock does do well and that is keeping everyone guessing on what she is going to do next. Watch The Fireworks is full of so many different styles that you would actually think this was a greatest hits put together from her career, yet it is actually her first album as a solo artist. Just the song title of This Rope's Getting Tighter would have you worried, but this deep dark song showcases Emma Pollock's clever and witty song writing.

She completes her first solo effort with The Optimist that has an acoustic guitar and Emma singing, and the occasional drumbeat played. Such a heartfelt song that leaves you hanging on wanting more, but you will have to wait for her touring or until she brings something new out.

Emma Pollock has given some great songs with The Delgados and looks set to continue that trend as a solo artist. Still only in he mid thirties there is still plenty in her engine to give and no there is no doubt that Emma Pollock will.


Mark Moore