Strawberry Switchblade - Trees And Flowers 7"

You’ll be guessing the format now, a wee single followed later by an album by the same artist, but no. Today’s early offerings, the simply gorgeous Strawberry Switchblade’s self-titled only album has already been posted. What type of witch craft is this? Simples really. T’Blades debut single Trees And Flowers isn’t on their album (the B-side is however in a re-recorded form) because it predates the album by almost two years. It does feature one Rose McDowell though and I thought it was tenuous enough to try and link it to this evenings post. But wait I hear you whisper, the single released by Ms. McDowell back in 1988 has also been posted before. What kind of gift is coming later today? I hear no-one ask.

Back to the Trees And Flowers single and yes, as expected, it lays the formula for T’Blades album hiding dark lyrics beneath sugary vocals and harmonies. The feeling that the girls seem to be aiming for is unsettling at best and they really hit their stride with the B-side Go Away. 

Don’t Fear The Strawberry Reaper

Rose McDowall‘s treatment of ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’ was her first aborted solo release following the break-up of Strawberry Switchblade. Originally rush-released in 1988 by a collaborator, without her consent, Reaper quickly vanished and has become the stuff of cult legend among collectors and fans alike. Rose McDowall's glorious cover of the Blue Oyster Cult's doomy rock classic, blooms into a brave anthem for self-empowerment “baby take my hand/don’t fear the reaper”. Simmering with a mixture trepidation and freedom, it’s pierced by McDowall’s elegantly bittersweet vocal that working alone was no doubt brought into the studio. Rose McDowall is a true lost legend of Glasgow's indie scene, a character that moved from post-punk provocateur to chart-bothering synth-pop queen.