The Proclaimers Take the High Road

Artist: The Proclaimers.

History: The Proclaimers have been playing together all their lives--if not necessarily musically, or under that name: The band’s sole members are twin brothers Charlie and Craig Reid, from the village of Auchtermuchty in the county of Fife. The two Scots flirted with punk as teens but settled on a folkish style when they began performing acoustic sets as the Proclaimers six years ago. In 1986 the Reids were discovered by the well-respected Housemartins, and a tour together led to a contract with Chrysalis. The Proclaimers’ 1987 debut, “This Is the Story,” attracted major acclaim in Britain if only minor attention in America. A new, far more commercially viable release, “Sunshine on Leith,” has already gone platinum (sales of 300,000) in Britain, and while its market prospects are limited here by its east-of-the-Atlantic flavor, the Proclaimers should at least become Stateside college radio sweethearts.

Sound: This is a Scottish outfit that sounds like a Scottish outfit--not so much in the music, which is actually quite strong in wearing its American pop and country influences, but in the accents, which are unmistakably thick. That’s part of the charm, and perhaps part of the hindrance to their mainstream acceptance in America. Initially, the Proclaimers were hampered as well by their mere-duo status, which they declined to enhance with added instrumentation on their first album. The second release feels like a debut: With plenty of help from a full band, including steel guitar, the Reids still focus their sound around Charlie’s acoustic guitar but come into their own as harmonizers, as lyricists, as modern lovers. The romantic, the spiritual, the sexual and the socio-economic all find their place, with a much lighter, jauntier touch than many of their political compatriots in pop. It’s lilting but earthbound, unabashedly hopeful but witty and even bluesy. Listen for their surprising outside song choice, Steve Earle’s lovely “My Old Friend the Blues.”

Shows: Wednesday at the Bacchanal, Thursday at the Roxy.