Withered Hand - New Gods [CD]

The long-awaited second album from this respected Edinburgh artist. Produced by Tony Doogan (Mountain Goats, Belle & Sebastian, Mogwai, The Pastels) and featuring a stellar array of guests including members of Belle & Sebastian, Frightened Rabbit, Black Tambourine and The Vaselines, New Gods is a brilliant and impassioned piece of songwriting and arranging. Calling it "folk" or "pop" really only tells part of the story -- Withered Hand's music is beautiful, melodic, honest and beyond easy categorization.