REVIEW: PAWS - Cokefloat

I have followed Scotland's PAWS for over a year and a half, and been impressed with their energy and impressive skills.  But, whether due to my lack of proximity or lack of perception, I still wasn't prepared for just how good their debut album is.  Cokefloat will compete with a couple of other worthy contenders as the my favorite garage pop album of the year -- a year in which there is some pretty damn good garage stroking my aural passageways.

The album has scorching guitar riffs, impressive rhythm foundations, roaring vocals and very good songs.  The trio of Philip Taylor (guitar and lead vocals), Joshua Swinney (drums) and Matthew Scott (bass) have crafted material that reflects the last couple years of their lives, including the death of Phil's mother.  So there is sadness, melancholy and bare emotions.  But there is optimism and the entire record is bursting with life.

Here is the the first single from the album, "Sore Tummy" --



We bring you this video of a performance of the second track, "Jellyfish", to give you a taste of their live energy:



There are some fine slower paced moments among the 13 tracks on Cokefloat, including "Get Bent" and "Poor Old Christopher Robin".  But for me, the tunes that remain in my memory the longest at the faster paced ones.  Not that I have relied much on memory for this album as late, as I've left it in the daily rotation.






Cokefloat was recorded at Lightship95, a recording studio floating at a wharf on the Thames in East London.  This represents the band's first time recording in a professional studio, as all prior efforts had been home recordings.  The sessions were supervised by Rory Attwell of Test Icicles, and he deserves props for capturing the band's live energy.

As did Scottish artists Frightened Rabbit, We Were Promised Jetpacks and The Twilight Sad before them, PAWS signed to Brighton's FatCat Records for this release.  The band is based in Glasgow, although the members come from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Tain.

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