SONS AND DAUGHTERS

Mirror Mirror

[Domino]

Sons and Daughters’ 2008 album, The Gift, saw the Glasgow-based band toughen up the folk-goth sound first unfurled on their 2005 debut. Mirror Mirror finds the group ratcheting up the aural dynamics—and the gloom factor—even further. Adding dance rhythms and electronica to the mix (as well as more vocals from guitarist Scott Paterson, flanking frontwoman Adele Bethel), the album comes off as an unlikely blend of Bauhaus, Nick Cave and the B-52s. Dark themes abound, as typified by “The Model,” a slice of psycho-rock based on a newspaper account of a model’s suicide attempt. Notable tracks include “Breaking Fun,” an angular Gang of Four–style rocker that’s at once catchy and sinister; “Ink Free,” a portentous tune fitted with pulsing synthesizers and a whispery vocal; and “Rose Red,” a dark slice of jangle-pop. Bethel continues to sound like the love child of Patti Smith and horror actor Christopher Lee, a dance-goth progeny to be proud of. –Russell Hall