TRACKLIST

You Go Together
Stop! [MP3]
One Night Stand
Something’s Happening
I Pretend She’s You
Hope is Still on Your Side
Libertyville or Somewhere
Sixteen is too Young
Praying is a Heartache
Save Your Breath
Castles of Wales
Ogilvie Station
... And the Horse You Rode in On
Tear Down the Opera House
Well I Wouldn’t

"Imagine the Mekons covering “Girlfriend in a Coma”"—Paste

"The album’s 15 concise songs are filled with brutally honest depictions of dysfunctional relationships, casual sex, disappointment, breakups, bitterness, heartache and unfulfilled lust, but the band helps the bile go down easy with exuberant folk-pop arrangements combining punkish guitars, soothing violin, loads of black humor and some defiantly anthemic pop hooks." —KEXP

"A compelling romantic tragedy packaged in crumbled wrapping paper as if it were a discarded gift. Except, these songs are something to hold onto tightly for their poetry, bitterness, and literate, sometimes biting, lines... It's a touch of Morrissey backed up by a soused Colin Meloy (Decemberists)." —Present Magazine

"It's astonishing to think a band with this much going for them has not really entered the limelight before now...The music is immediately catchy and draws you in, but its the lyrics that will keep you sticking around for more." —Swear I'm Not Paul blog

The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir ... and the horse you rode in on

BS161 2009

CD$11.50BUY
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To order the LP, go here.

"Welsh-born Elia leads his group of bookish minstrels through the ups and downs (more downs than ups) on the latest release from Bloodshot Records...and uses his cleverness and charm, pity and poetry, to make you smile and sing along with his woes." — The Deli Chicago

"The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir are one of Chicago’s best, albeit most underrated, indie rock bands. From the acid tongued lyrics and beautiful harmonies to the aggressive guitar playing, it’s great stuff." —"Five Tunes" blog

"Perhaps ... and the horse you rode in on's most endearing trait is that it showcases a band capable of creating complex and exuberant musical arrangements. Violins, trombones, trumpets and keys accompany the usual lineup of guitars, bass and drums, creating a sound that's reminiscent of an even more energetic Orange Juice...One of the most creative, contemptuous and darkly entertaining records in recent years." —Spectrum Culture

Boy meets girl. Boy loves girl. Girl loves boy. Crushing breakup inevitably ensues. Boy drops out of life, retreats to family’s farmhouse in Northern Wales. Boy—along with rest of band—makes great record, triumphs over adversity.

Rock’s bread and butter is romantic tragedy. The latest record from Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, … and the horse you rode in on, takes all that, crushes it up, and emerges with something new, crisp, compelling and incredibly intelligent. Sure, they rock, but they also read.

The whole record echoes Britain’s foremost purveyors of pity and poetry. Hints of Morrissey’s literate lamentations, Jarvis Cocker’s over-sexed swagger, and ballboy’s broken-hearted exuberance rise and fall over the fourteen songs. From the record’s opening line, “I hope that you catch syphilis and die,” there’s a portent of the heartbroken bitterness to come.

Features cameos by Jon Langford (Mekons, Waco Brothers) and Martin Atkins (PiL, Killing Joke, Pigface)