Niblett, Scout

Niblett, Scout

It’s Up To Emma

Drag City

***Received a 7.6 rating from Pitchfork. in the past year or so, SCOUT NIBLETT’s house was the one on the block that you could often hear Rollins screaming out of the speakers at the top of his lungs “And at the end of the day, all you have is yourself and your mind!” Inside, you’d find her studying her birth chart. It revealed that the time was ripe for accessing emotional freedom through self reliance. Such a potent and liberating time...but before the liberation comes, there’s the resistance: the forces of nature that hurl breakdowns and shatter attachment. Indeed, stripped of partnerships both musical and personal, self reliance became survival technique for Scout. Revisiting Rollins’ proclamations felt like checking in with an old friend, the friend who doesn’t want anything from you, the friend who forces you to see your own strength. And thus, It’s Up To Emma. Over the course of 46 minutes and nine songs, It’s Up To Emma simmers, storms and cascades through an alinear tale of domestic emotional crises, all of which are immaculately rendered in Scout’s distinctive songwriting style. The dark news that the record brings is good news for Scout’s fans, who look to her to get under the skin and, as if in a trance, live through these songs in an attempt to get everyone a bit of clarity. 

Niblett, Scout

Calcination Of Scout Niblett

Drag City

***BACK IN STOCK ON VINYL!!! The Calcination of Scout Niblett is the fifth soul-searing record from the musical entity known as SCOUT NIBLETT. Continuing her fruitful studio relationship with STEVE ALBINI, her new record is her most tightly coiled long-player yet, a heavy handful of songs that are reaching for the ripe and the light. People come to Niblett for the joy of a scalding hot bath of sound amidst stark, bluesy emoting—and she won’t let ’em down this time. But something has shifted. Having made herself a record or two’s worth of celebration ballads and moody freakouts, she seems to be hearing that call from within to feel for other things. The songs string together, almost as one, her guitar growls and bites, and the black velvet of space hovers. Just when the tension in the room and the filament of guitar can’t glow any brighter, suddenly a band erupts, accompaniment to her vision—and then back down to Scout and guitar. The Calcination of Scout Niblett is an intense devotional, a determined spirit journey and a collection of great slow-dance songs. No Export to Europe. No CD export to Japan and Australia. Received an 7.3 rating from Pitchfork.