Perfect Scottish indie pop, lush with melodies, inimitable female vocals. Where Belle and Sebastian crafted pop masterpieces this band takes it to a whole new level, sans the borderline nauseating preciousness. Songs are very lush, composed, with string/brass arrangements, like by “real musicians” (The Tindersticks come to mind), lyrics well written. But the voice, the distinctive vocals make this band. Something endearing and genuine, like girl next door but not relying on a cute thpeech impediment style like so many female vocalists resort to. On the subject of her melodies: McCartney once asked whether the world needed another silly love song. One might ask whether, after Burt Bacharach, The Beatles and The Carpenters, any finer pop melodies could be written. This album is bursting with a whole fresh crop. Chalk another one up to 4AD Records, who always manage to sign the finest female singers to ever stand in front of a pop shield.

1) (0:30) brief string arrangement, cinematic opener
2) (3:30) dreamy, slow/mid sway, slightly smarmy, love embodied
3) (4:27) upbeat cute, sweet
4) (4:07) nice vocals, lyrics “to die in the arms of a 20 year old”
5) (5:35) the phrasing of this is trademark to this band, just lovely, midpaced and dreamy
6) (3:17) upbeat, faster and upbeat happy than rest, with sexual overtones, great
7) (4:13) lovely slower, dreamy, pleasant strings
8) (4:10) more trademark phrasing and melodies, lovely pop, “Midnight Cowboy” arpeggios and chord progressions
9) (4:27) lilting ¾ waltzy, lovely with a dreamy guitar lead, god this is good heart wrenching stuff “if you want me to leave let me go, if you want me stay let me know”
10) (4:26) brass arrangements give this a television special epic quality to it
11) (3:48) pop, indie, with hooky chorus, look no further
12) (4:22) some country lap steel guitar twang to this, appropriate for the California references, lovely