[midlife 150] #149: james yorkston “tender to the blues”

#149 Tender To The Blues by James Yorkston & The Athletes (taken from Moving Up Country, 2002)

James Yorkston’s songs explore themes far from the (sub)urban rites of passage told by labelmates The Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. Yet they’re neither otherworldly nor a throwback to a time we can never relive. They simply, and perfectly, remind us that it is possible to pause, reflect, think and feel even here, even now.

Tender To The Blues is from Yorkston’s debut album proper, which gained ‘album of the year’ status from Rough Trade Shops no less.

This review is part of close to 94 ‘s [midlife 150] series, which counts down favourite music 1970-2009.