Effin Tune: The Delgados - 'Coming in from the Cold'

It seems that Scotland has a love affair with indie pop music. I mean, how many awesome pop acts come out of this magical land? Off the top of my head: Teenage Fanclub, Belle & Sebastian, Camera Obscura and many more. And why does it keep producing such quality? I wager a pouch of guineas that it is the haggis. Or perhaps deep-fried mars bar. Or some other stereotypically Scottish cultural object.

Anyway, I quickly want to chat about a great little ditty from The Delgados, a band that I have not had the pleasure of listening to in some time. I revisited them en route to work just this morning, which spurred on this ramble.

‘Coming in From the Cold’ from “Hate” has always been my favourite Delgados tune. I say this for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was the song that introduced me to the band. I do still recall the exact moment it first graced my eardrums - I was working with my father painting someone’s apartment and listening to Triple J during the summer of 2002 when it came on the morning show. I was immediately smitten.

Secondly, well, I just love the wide-eyed optimism encapsulated most clearly in the uplifting guitar melody that plays over Emma Pollock’s vocals during the chorus. While I think that "The Great Eastern" was a better record, I don’t think any individual Delgados song ever got much better than this one.

Die-hard Delgados fans may disagree with my over-the-top blushing. arguably I’ve picked the most palatable and 'mainstream' song of The Delgados discography. But fuck it, I like it and I don’t care (am I wrong? Please tell me I'm not :D). I was fortunate to catch one of their last ever shows when they toured Brisbane in early 2005. Weeks later they broke up and that was that.