[ On The Seven Sawyer... ]

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Jun 4, 2000 | by Graeme Virtue

On The Seven Sawyer (Human Condition) HHH

JENNIFER Lopez's debut album was called On The Six, a reference to the New York subway she rode every day as a struggling actress. For their debut, bright Scottish hopes Sawyer have gone one better, and certainly their pumped-up, post-Mogwai, full metal racket makes for more intriguing listening than the shimmering R&B lite of Ms Lopez, although she certainly scrapes it in the looks department. Starting with swathes of twitchy guitar, Sawyer augment their sound with a smattering of technological alchemy that complements rather than obscures their alt-rock roots. The edgy riffing of The World Is Endless recalls Therapy?, but it's the sonic lapping of seven-minute opening track In The Evening You Could Be Anything In The Evening that overshadows the rest of this nevertheless assured debut.

Graeme Virtue