Supergroup The Burns Unit to release debut album Side Show
The Burns Unit are an 8-piece Scottish-Canadian “supergroup” whose multi-faceted sound can be described as “indie pop meets carnival rock.” Their debut album ‘Side Show’ will be released on August 2nd on Proper Music with a digital single ‘Trouble’ on August 23rd.
The Burns Unit features: award-winning folk singer Karine Polwart; alt-folk royalty King Creosote and indie queen Emma Pollock plus Indo-Caledonian pop artist Future Pilot AKA; elegant multi-instrumentalist Kim Edgar; drummer/producer Mattie Foulds; energetic piano-man Michael Johnston (both from Canada) and virtuosic rapper MC Soom T.
Their debut CD, Side Show, released by The Burns Unit through Proper Music Distribution was produced by the band’s drummer Mattie Foulds, was mixed with Paul Savage (Franz Ferdinand) and mastered by Jon Astley (Tears For Fears, The Who, Norah Jones).
They will play a handful of dates in support of their new CD as follows:
Sat July 31/Sun Aug 1 Cambridge Folk Festival
Wed Aug 4 Glasgow ABC
Mon Aug 9 Edinburgh Queen’s Hall
Side Show is an exhilarating album, both theatrical and intimate. Featuring no less than six lead vocalists, it is nevertheless a cohesive and emotionally resonant recording. Incorporating elements of cabaret, dub, synth-pop, folk and underground rock, the ten songs on Side Show are anthemic and organic.
“We may be the world’s first accidental big band,” says Johnston. The Burns Unit formed out of a one-week songwriting retreat – called “Burnsong” – held in rural Scotland in December 2006. Each musician arrived with virtually no connections to or knowledge of one another.
“Together, we’re such a mish-mash of personalities and styles”, says Johnston, “We had no right to have gotten along as well as we did, let alone form a band and make an album! We often joke that we’re the band nobody asked to be a member of.”
With each of the ten songs co-written by at least 2 members of the band, the collaborative sound on Side Show is furthered by interweaving vocal parts like Kim Edgar and Karine Polwart’s mesmerizing chant on “Send Them Kids To War” underscoring Soom T’s urgent politically-charged lyrics. There are several duets, including the spellbinding opening track “Since We’ve Fallen Out”, featuring King Creosote and Polwart and “You Need Me To Need This” delivered by Emma Pollock and Michael Johnston. The unique and bold sound of Side Show includes retro synths, accordion, shruti box and tamboura alongside guitars, piano, drums and bass.
Lyrically, some songs draw upon members’ shared experiences, including alcohol on “Sorrys” and parenthood “Helpless To Turn”. Others look outward, tackling politics on “What Is Life?”, nature On “Majesty of Decay” and murder on “Blood, Ice and Ashes”.
Many of these songs were previewed at The Burns Unit’s only two shows to date. The first was the band’s official debut at the 2009 Celtic Connections Festival to a sold-out crowd of 1200 at ABC 1 in downtown Glasgow. The second was an appearance at Fence Records’ annual celebration, Homegame in April 2009, where, in addition to their full-band set, members of the Burns Unit recorded a session for BBC, and sat in with KT Tunstall for her surprise acoustic set.
