(Rogue Records/Inertia)

Varied solo album from Guillemots frontman

For those not aware, Guillemots are something of a sensation in the UK, their second album Red reaching the top 10, while their debut record Through The Windowpane attracted a nomination for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. Not bad for a band who blend indie rock with faintly avant-garde arrangements (typewriter and power tools have been among the group’s instrumentation). Coming from such an eclectic band, you’d expect any solo album from this group of individuals to follow suit. Which the new album from the band’s frontman Fyfe Dangerfield certainly does, though not at the expense of accessibility. Dangerfield is clearly a talented singer and songwriter, with an almost restless energy. On the his debut solo album, Nick Drake softness, soaring bombastic ballads, radio-friendly rock and indie esoterica sidle up together. Dangerfield is determined to show his mastery of several genres, while the likes of When You Walk In The Room are present to display his ability to simply sit down and write a catchy pop song. While this lushly produced album shows Dangerfield’s range, there’s a thread missing which makes the songs seem thrown together more so than part of a cohesive whole. Which can be a good thing, but Dangerfield somehow loses his identity in the process; the ultimate result is a likeable batch of tunes, which lack a central character.

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MATT THROWER

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