Album review: James Yorkston - The Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society

The small fishing village of Cellardyke nestles in Fife, and it is here that the Fence Collective ensemble (and associated record label), which included Kenny Anderson of King Creosote, set forth its plans for international recognition. Following something of a contentious shift in label dynamics, Yorkston has gone off on a lovely self-referencing tangent that might well turn out to be his best album yet. Simply put, the album is a collection of stories about the little dramas and the sizeable quirks of an everyday small fishing village. Assisted by Hot Chip's Rob Smoughton and Alexis Taylor (who produces), Emma Smith, and a rather famous Fence Collective member, KT Tunstall, Yorkston doesn't gild the lily any more than he should – this is an honest song-suite, an account of life in all its myriad positives and negatives. jamesyorkston.co.uk

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