From the very beginning of opener 'Rinse Me Down', this album drew me in. The beautifully harmonised, stripped back, stunningly simple song had me at hello. And from that point on I fell swiftly and irrevocably in love with the album.
'Flaws' does everything I love a band to do - layers guitars and vocals to take the straightforward from something quotidien to something special. Classic, well-arranged, and skillfully-executed music will always win me over, and this album is 33-and-a-half minutes of exactly that. I've said it before and I'll say it again: there are few things in life so satisfying as a well-played acoustic guitar - and this album is the best example of this I've heard in a long time. Honourable mention to 'Dust on the Ground' - a compelling, yet almost lackadaisical, country-inspired riff, and a heartbreaker of a song (I mean that in a good way) that has a kind of Badly Drawn Boy feel to it.
As we all know (yes, you can quit rolling your eyes) I'm a sucker for Bright Eyes, and there's something about the occasionally slightly warbly vocals and poetic lyrics of this album that's kind of reminiscent of Conor Oberst. And though it's a cover, I also get a distinct Buddy Holly (circa 'Dearest') feel from 'Fairytale Lullaby.'
Other standouts for me are 'Ivy & Gold' which gave me a sort of Neil Young shiver, and the intimate, ambient 'Leaving Blues' which cuts almost too accurately close to the bone for someone who spends her life on the road. There's a compelling urgency to 'My God'; a banjo-inspired lift to the title track - not to mention the equally superb 'Many Ways'; and an ethereal beauty to the closing track (a Joanna Newsom cover) 'Swansea.'
Above all this album is just so easy to listen to. It is beautifully written. Skilfully executed. I smiled from start to finish. I'm addicted; I want to share this album with everyone I know. I listened to the whole thing twice in a row. In fact I'm not going to lie, even though it's obscene, I actually listened to it three times. In a row. And what's more I can't wait to listen to it over and over and over again. Especially on sunny Sunday afternoons.
Thank you, friend, for the recommendation. Your flawless taste prevails. Also, you should blog more.
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