Send "Alasdair Roberts " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Guardian |
 Lurking between classic Brit folk, its nu folk parallel and lo-fi indie, Roberts continues to surprise. After the death balladry of No Earthly Man and the relatively upbeat The Amber Gatherers, he's now doing seriously weird, with added humour and tunes. Part-Incredible String Band, part- Lal Waterson,but mostly magnificently unique....full text |
| Spin |
| A Scottish singer-songwriter with a number of spare and lovely folk albums, Alasdair Roberts goes for the mad prophetic gusto on the strange and visionary Spoils. Backed by a loose combo, Roberts sweeps away the dust of neo-trad nostalgia with a dynamic but intimate rock vibe that's ragged in all the right ways. Yes, there are hurdy gurdies, acoustic guitars, and songs about medieval books and divining rods. But with his scurvy dreams, apocalyptic premonitions, and Luddite rants ("We've seen the death of wonder"), Roberts draws remarkable fire from our present "makeshift age."...full text |
| Musicomh |
| For such a prolific artist Alasdair Roberts is remarkably consistent, and his new album Spoils will not disappoint fans of the Scottish folk singer-songwriter. It's four years since Roberts released No Earthly Man, his riveting interpretation of traditional songs, and his stock has risen even higher following the release of 2007's The Amber Gatherers. For those new to Roberts, imagine a Scottish version of Will Oldham and you will be part of the way to understanding the kind of music on show here. Great artist though he is, Oldham can't shake a stick at Roberts when it comes to the sheer literary impact of the lyrical vision. This is dense, metaphorical writing of a kind rarely found these days, and Spoils is an album to live with over several weeks before the purpose becomes clear and the stories within begin to unravel their questioning of organised religion and traditional beliefs....full text |
Alasdair Roberts lyrics
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