Best Of 2010, Guest Editors: Emma Pollock On Barr’s Irn-Bru

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.

Pollock: I have a memory of a terrible hangover when I was in my early 20s, in the summer, after a gig probably, in Glasgow. I woke up early, which always seems to be an early sign of a bad hangover with me. (My body would rather I be conscious when going through it, apparently.) The only thing I could think of was cold, very cold, Barr’s Irn-Bru, from a glass bottle. Barr’s Irn-Bru is Scotland’s other national drink: the non-alcoholic one, and it really is quite fantastic. Story goes it still sells more than Coca-Cola in Scotland, and this only happens in two countries in the world, the other being Peru, where its own Inca Kola sells more than Coca-Cola. As well as tasting fantastic, the adverts that Barr runs on TV and on billboards, etc., are just hilarious. Do you remember the snowman video? Go see the Irn-Bru version. For anyone interested in the best hangover cure, incidentally: one cold bottle of Irn-Bru, nursed over a good half hour, followed by a couple of hours sleep, then rise, not too quickly right enough, and treat yourself to a bowl of Heinz Tomato Soup. Sorted. Back to the pub then? Video after the jump.