A funny band, Turin Brakes: obviously talented but vaguely anonymous, they were distinctive mainly thanks to Olly Knight's love-it-or-hate-it voice. Critics immediately threw them in with the rancidly-titled New Acoustic Movement. And while their debut album, 'The Optimist LP', was quietly pleasant and well-crafted it rarely threatened to rattle the emotions. A classic case of respect over devotion - nowhere near as good as, say, the genius of a Flaming Lips, but preferable to the earnestness of a Coldplay.
Thankfully, as recent (actually, great) singles 'Long Distance' and 'Pain Killer' suggested, the Balham duo have beefed up their sound and begun carving a niche of their own. Consequently the follow-up 'Ether Song' is a real step forward - a challenging and melodic record.
Knight's vocals still nod toward Jeff Buckley, but, in addition to the patron saint of 21st Century boy singers, there are also shades of Radiohead and Beck. Songs like 'Stone Thrown' and 'Clear Blue Air' resonate with the same magic as the latter's 'Mutations' while opener 'Blue Hour' is Thom Yorke with humanity injected. Other highlights are 'Full Of Stars' where midnight piano meets a gorgeously light chorus and 'Panic Attack' which sounds eerily like Pink Floyd circa 'Wish You Were Here'. These boys no longer lack variety.
Indeed, aided by producer Tony Hoffer the backing is rich with instrumentation and interesting enough to carry Knight's unique voice. Sometimes deceptively simple, they achieve intricacy of sound with emotion and depth. A neat trick if you can pull it off. And they do, with gusto.
It's nice when preconceptions get blown. "Have another drink my son, enjoy another cigarette, because it's time you realised you're just an average man," they sing on 'Average Man', but this is anything but. Oh, and keep listening when the final track 'Rain City' ends - the untitled hidden track, 7 minutes 48 seconds in, is probably the best thing on the record.
