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6 out of 10
Just when you'd given up hope on male singer-songwriters toting acoustic guitars, along comes one who doesn't bore and/or enrage. This saviour is one Iain Archer, erstwhile resident of Bangor, Northern Ireland, who takes the Nick Drake For Dummies book and adds an intriguing Bright Eyes accent. Sprinkle over the less-is-more attitude to instrumentation of Will Oldham and you have a small diamond of an album. Songbird and Nightwatchman may perk ears at first but the entire work deserves more attention - repeated listens akin to revisiting a site of outstanding natural beauty.
Archer's voice wavers to near-breakup at times, such that parts (Frozen Lake, for example) approach Blunt territory. Thankfully, he manages to turn off the twee at the last moment so the listener doesn't want to start beheading baby rabbits. Buy this one for your girlfriend if the honeymoon period's waning - instant brownie points for you, with the added bonus of proof that this particular genre does not have to sound like goats being tortured by a string quartet.
Listen: www.myspace.com/iainarcher
Tracklist:
1. The Acrobat
2. Songbird
3. Black Mountain Quarry
4. Hey Mia, Don't Be Lonely
5. Everest
6. Frozen Lake
7. Streamer On A Kite
8. To Mend And Move Along
9. The Nightwatchman
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