Glasgow 11-piece The Cut Throat Razors are one of the best bands I’ve discovered this year. They’re an absolute delight to listen to, with their sound evoking a mixture of hip-hop, ska and a heady amount of Big Band boldness. They released their debut album, Dr Gelati and the Lemon Garden in 2012 and a live album the following year, both of which are available on the bands website.
The first track is the eponymous ‘Motown’s Lost Its Soul’, a swaggering, bold declaration that could get even the most miserable of people dancing on a rainy day. Starting off with David Harley’s plucked bass and metamorphosing into a Northern Soul swinger with Scott Crawford’s vocals being backed up excellently by Susan Nisbet and Elaine Fleming as they tell us “I heard the declaration / Motown’s Lost Its Soul” and telling us all that “They got no feeling for you”. It would sound most at home in the 50’s or 60’s, being played to a room full of rude boys and mods. Failing that, it has the groove and panache to feature in a movie, so film-makers should pay particular attention to this track. It’s a solid start to the E.P.
‘Lose My Mind’ follows it up, and it sounds somewhat edgier, yet is somehow bouncy, with its snarl of “I can’t stand the way you smile at me”. It somehow manages to raise a chuckle with the lines “Fat chance / Would you like to dance / She said / Drop dead, I’ll have a drink instead”. The lyrics seem to be a spiteful retort at somebody, perhaps an ex-partner.
‘She’s My Baby’ is a bit more Rock’N’Roll than the two tracks before it, with the brass section and guitars coming to the forefront and Scott Crawford appreciating a girl who “Never shouts / Never screams / Never one to make a scene” . The piano backs up the lead instruments, and it’s fantastic to listen to. Think Fats Domino mixed with Elvis Presley and Glen Miller and you have this track. It’s upbeat, it’s fun, and it’s just great music to listen to to put you in a sunny mood. Again, this wouldn’t sound out of place in a movie or a West End musical.
Last but not least, there is ‘A Beautiful Day’, which couples Shane MacGowan-style lyrics with King Creosote-style music, and somehow the Cut Throat Razors make this song their own distinct tune. With its refrain of “Oh! What a beautiful day” (as a fellow Glaswegian, I can tell you we don’t see many of them) and upbeat sound, the closer is unabashedly optimistic, looking outward and proclaiming its optimism to the whole world. While this is the weakest track on the E.P, it’s still a great song and another one to put you in a sunny mood.
I would definitely recommend this E.P. It’s full of great tunes and it is very refreshing to hear this particular sound in a modern band. The launch for the E.P is at Stereo Glasgow on Friday the 27th of November.
Words by Gabriel Rutherford