A sort of, ‘best of’ The Filthy Tongues – what have you been missing?

Release Date: Available now

Label: Last Night From Glasgow

Format: Eco vinyl LP / CD / digital

Earlier this year, In These Dark Places completed The Filthy Tongues’ Edinburgh trilogy. With the Christmas market in sight, what better time then to release a FT compilation?

There’s the added appeal of two new tracks, one of which, Underground City (that might – or might not – refer to the labyrinthian underbelly of Edinburgh – take the tour…) has appeared as a single, plus the title track. Meanwhile, as an intro, we head back to the dark swagger of Jacob’s Ladder, declaring “hallelujah from the top of the hill,” and the claustrophobia of Gas Mask Blues. I’d love to hear Dylan having a go at this one (and a handful of others tbh), typical of the swampy, Time Out Of Mind era, Lanois-style production.

The sudden appearance of Underground City, that by comparison sounds clean and clear, is a reminder of the Velvet Underground and Joy Division sense of isolation. However, there’s more to the Tongues than a band who create the late night vibe isolation and keep a ‘Who goes there?’ thought stirring in the back of the mind.

The rustic rolling barroom blues Come On Home comes complete with an earworm of a chorus line next to the stirring Tricky Nicky, straight from GBGB’s. A big Motown-eque production underpins Holy Brothers while The Ghost Of Rab McVie calls up fiddle to take us towards the fringes of Folk Rocking territory, tinged with a cool groove 9and could that be wobble board in the background or the chilling thought of the ghost of Rolf Harris lurking…?)

The claustrophobia of In These Dark Place that chugs along, swinging between nervously comic ghost train horror and genuine ‘what’s round the next corner’ fear. Some authentic instrument adds to the former, the Elbow-esque (think Leaders of The Free World) rhythm contributing to the latter.

They say how absence makes the heart grow fonder, so after a Filthy Tongue-free period, there’s an element of the thrill of rediscovery of the holy brothers. A terrific little compilation, all primed for lurking at the foot of your Christmas stocking to provide a dark thrill or two.

Here’s Underground City:

The Filthy Tongues online: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Bandcamp

Keep up with At The Barrier: Facebook / X (formerly Twitter) / Instagram / Spotify / YouTube