For those unlikely few who thought Badly Drawn Boy's LP was a corporate sell-out, Twisted Nerve's second proper album is a reassuringly quirky arrival. Dave Tyack, a maths graduate who ended up in Manchester via Derbyshire and Germany, is a multi-instrumentalist with a knack of crafting odd and pretty music and a persistent problem with what to call himself.
Following Tyack's career thus far has been tricky. Originally he called his solo music Dakota Oak, and his work with a band the Dakota Oak Trio. Now his solo stuff is to be called Dave Tyack, and his band DOT. But first, this album; a solo piece by, yes, Dave Tyack's Dakota Oak. Contrary bugger.
Inspired by his infancy spent on the edge of a German forest of the same name, 'Am Deister' features 26 short and engaging instrumentals. Tyack specialises in expansive miniatures, concentrating his ideas, never lingering long enough for his childlike themes to outstay their welcome.
Mainly acoustic, he constructs looping melodies out of barely-tuned guitars and solemnly plonked pianos to create skewed waltzes, art-oompah, unsteady chamber music (the terrific 'How Heavy A Heart Is Mine' and 'Hannover Under Snow') and occasional dips into post-rock (notably 'J'Adore La Batterie', a pert 18 seconds long).
Throughout, there's a warmth and innocence that makes 'Am Deister' a pleasurable diversion from rock's typical ways, a charm that aligns it with much of Badly Drawn Boy's work and that of the other artists on his Twisted Nerve label. Just don't expect this one to snare the Mercury Prize, that's all.
