Admiral Fallow

Formed in Glasgow during 2007 while its members pursued studies there, the Scottish quintet Admiral Fallow began life as Brother Louis Collective before adopting its present name. The lineup comprised vocalist Louis Abbott, clarinetist Kevin Brolly, flutist Sarah Hayes, double bassist Joseph Rattray, and drummer Philip Hague, who together drew from the late-noughties nu-folk movement and cited Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, and Rufus Wainwright among their primary influences. Early support from Fyfe Dangerfield led to an invitation to support the Guillemots on their Scottish dates, after which the group signed to Lo-Five Records. Appearances supporting the Futureheads, Paolo Nutini, and King Creosote preceded a headline slot on the Sunday night T-Break stage at T in the Park in 2009. That momentum carried the band to its first single, “These Barren Years,” followed a year later by the Paul Savage–produced debut album Boots Met My Face, on which Savage, formerly of the Delgados, handled production duties.

Nettwerk became the home for the sophomore effort, the 2012 indie-folk release Tree Bursts in Snow, whose title was chosen to suggest a weapon detonating beside a snow-laden tree and to reflect themes of violence-induced loss. Intent on altering their approach for the third album, the musicians largely dispensed with acoustic guitars, centered songwriting around keyboards, and composed collectively rather than expanding from Abbott’s initial sketches. A 2013 collaboration with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, for which Admiral Fallow created their own arrangements, prompted richer instrumental textures that carried over to the resulting record. Tiny Rewards, issued in 2015, retained the group’s characteristic thoughtful lyrics, melodic strength, and the earnest quality of Abbott’s singing. The material originated during a series of retreats at a studio outside Fort William, Scotland, was tracked in summer 2014, and emerged as a co-production between the band and Cameron Blackwood, with Savage again responsible for mixing.