He may have had a well documented uphill struggle these past few years, but if you keep going uphill you eventually get to the top, and it could be argued that Edwyn Collins' stock is as high now as it's ever been. He may not be enjoying the odd top ten single as he has done in the past, but his albums are rightly doing well and attracting as much critical praise as anything he did with Orange Juice or in his '90s solo stardom. The reasons for this are simple. Collins has never sold out, he didn't settle into middle age by mellowing his sound (not that it has ever been particularly hardcore), releasing covers albums or living off past glories. He seems to have the same ideals as ever, and that's the reason his music still strikes a chord.
Being a songwriter of the highest order helps of course, but it's what you with it that counts. New single 'Too Bad (That's Sad)' will be known to fans already as it's taken from recent album 'Understated', but for newbies it also works as a near perfect introduction. As one of the creators of indie music as we know it, that side is clear here (and you can probably guess where Belle & Sebastian learnt a thing or two), and the guitar solo sounds pretty timeless. If we had to categorize this song then we'd go for Northern Soul all the way; a white Scottish guy emulating the sounds of black America in the '60s maybe, but one with a full understanding of the genre and how and why it developed. Some of the most exciting music ever made is born out of youth, but when you keep that youthful spark alive and combine it with the amount of experience that this man has, then great things can happen.
Edwyn Collins' website
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