Review Summary: Glasgow Kiss
Some artists keep to the one same conceptual drive throughout their entire career and The Bathers are most definitely a case in point; the 'pursuit of an orchid', their 'Kelvingrove baby', has been their lyrical obsession since day one and has always informed the lush nostalgia of the varying musical styles employed to bring life to these lovelorn ruminations. It's like chief songwriter Chris Thomson has his own language, rich with symbology; certain words and phrases keep turning up (pandemonium, fragrance, crazy, orchids, perfume) and they're linked to a solid geography, with almost half the song titles on any given album referencing actual (remembered?) locations.
The fact these songs may be based around half-remembered memories is another huge part of the appeal of The Bathers - everything feels like a nostalgic reverie, these passions and obsessions are visceral...but has the decisive moment already passed? Every album conjures up a dreamy fug for the listener and things are no different on their fifth and penultimate release, 'Kelvingrove Baby', even despite the album seeing a shift towards an otherwise crisper musical approach.
Lyrically Thomson's still unable to break the spell that's been cast over him by this mysterious creature; even when he's calling her his 'Girlfriend' he still has to admit she'll only be at his side 'for a while'. This early entry in the set is important because at surface level all seems well, the song being a heartfelt ode to the wonders of this person being yours - but crucially there's an awareness this is a fleeting moment, a precarious victory, and you're certain to end up with a lifetime of regret. Such a predicament of course calls firstly for bravery ('Risk or Glory'), and then for seizing the moment (the outstanding 7 and a half minute title track). However, as the album progresses it feels more and more like this object of desire is slipping from our grip, receding into the dim mists of memory, with the final three songs capturing the album at its most melancholic and tender.
As with all Bathers albums it's hard to work out whether Thomson's 'muse' (and he sure uses that phrase a lot) is still a part of the 'present day world', if she still graces the streets of Glasgow, or if indeed she ever did? Was she a dream all along? Are all men doomed to be driven insane by the pursuit of creatures that can never be tamed, that they wouldn't want to tame even if they had the chance for fear of tarnishing the perfection of their beauty and spirit...instead ending up haunted by memories of all too brief encounters? Of the scents of exotic perfumes?
So yes, all things considered, you could call The Bathers romantics
