ROSE MCDOWALL - CUT WITH THE CAKE KNIFE

Rose McDowall, formerly of 80's popsters Strawberry Switchblade, has just released her album Cut With The Cake Knife on Glasgow's Night School Records. The album features a collection of songs written in the late 1980's which were due to form the basis of the second Strawberry Switchblade album, but the split before they got round to recording it. Now given an official release, these tracks display the full range of McDowall's talents and Cut With The Cake Knife is a real gem of an album.

The album is full of songs that, on first listen, seem like hook laden pop songs but with each subsequent listen, more and more layers are revealed, exposing a darkness behind the pop shine. Whilst the sound leans more towards McDowall's work with Strawberry Switchblade rather than her later industrial collaborations, there is an edge to the album that makes it all the more enjoyable. The likes of opener Tibet (listen below), Sunboy and the title track are all superb examples of indiepop of the kind popular in the period the songs were originally recorded and that can never be a bad thing. The highlight for me is the superb Crystal Days which is as good a pop song as you'll hear in a long time.

Ultimately, it's hard not to love this album with its late summer pop vibes brightening up the early Autumn nights. Deceptively dark, but incredibly catchy, Cut With The Cake Knife is a hugely enjoyable album and is highly recommended.

Cut With The Cake Knife by Rose McDowall is available now on Night School Records http://www.nightschoolrecords.com