Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain

The early 1980s were a great time to be a young pop musician in Glasgow. Punk came late to the city, but when it did it galvanised a host of bands. At the centre of the scene was Alan Horne's pioneering indie label, Postcard. Although it was initially formed to accommodate the mercurial talents of the Edwyn Collins-led Orange Juice, Horne's ambitions stretched further than promoting the be-quiffed crooner. With typical hubris, he saw Postcard as a Scottish version of Motown and set about recruiting other acts, such as Josef K, the Nectarine Number 9 and Paul Quinn. One of Horne's other discoveries was Roddy Frame, a 16 year old guitar prodigy from East Kilbride, a faceless new town on the southern outskirts of Glasgow.

Horne's ambitions weren't matched by business acumen, however. Orange Juice were the first to jump ship, heading south into the arms of a major label. Frame's band, Aztec Camera, released two singles on Postcard, before following Edwyn and co. south and signing with Rough Trade. Postcard folded soon after. By the time High Land Hard Rain was released, Frame was the sole remaining member of the group. For all the upheaval, it is a remarkably assured record for someone so young. Although many of the songs resemble the jangly guitar pop which was the current vogue, most notably hit single Oblivious, Frame's prowess as a guitarist consistently subverts cliché, throwing in jazzy chords which take the expertly crafted melodies into unexpected areas.

Frame's relative youth may explain the album's lyrical preoccupations with affairs of the heart, but he approaches them with a witty, wry turn of phrase which immediately marked him as literate new voice. References to Keats, T.S. Elliot and Joe Strummer also helped attach a degree of refectory friendly cool. The romantic disillusionment of We Could Send Letters recalls Elvis Costello, while Down the Dip betrays Frame's early schooling in folk music. Incidentally, trivia fans, the title of the latter refers to The Diplomat, a pub in Frame's native East Kilbride.

Frame would take a few years to hit commercial paydirt with 1987's Love, but its slick transatlantic pop sheen lacked the emotional resonance of High Land...Frame still records as a solo artist, still displaying the consummate skill and artistry with which he made his name, but for many this will remain the best example of his prodigal talent.