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In Emma Pollock’s Loop: David Bowie’s “Hunky Dory”

To those who loved them, Glasgow, Scotland’s Delgados were the near-perfect blend of churning, indie-rock edginess and stirring, girl/boy vocals, wrapped in gasp-inducing orchestral arrangements that made time stand still. A tough act for vocalist/guitarist Emma Pollock to follow, you might think, when the band split amicably in 2006. And yet, Pollock’s ’07 solo debut, Watch The Fireworks, wasted no time in identifying how crucial she had been to the unique sound of the Delgados. Three years later, the former physics major returns with The Law Of Large Numbers (Chemikal Underground), which goes down like a couple of dry martinis after a savory meal, welcoming you to Pollock’s expanding universe of sound. Pollock will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with her.

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Pollock: I found out about Hunky Dory during my first job after leaving university. I worked for a music management company in Glasgow, and they managed a load of bands. And those bands introduced me to this album, in particular. I was absolutely taken with it from the off. The songwriting is just outrageously good—”Life On Mars?” being a particular favourite and “Changes.” Great songs but obviously made what they are by wonderful exuberant and confident performance, and outlandish and bold arrangements. The lyrics are also wonderful—a great example of the odd and off-kilter making complete sense in a pop-music context, providing it with yet another layer of interest to peel off and explore.