I must learn not to jump to conclusions (copy out 500 times). Tom Hickox is a Scottish-born, London-living singer songwriter who takes the notion of singer songwriter further than just one introspective man and his guitar. There’s real strings but what sets him apart from so many others is the electronica. Added to the inspiration which Scott Walker, Nick Cave and Morrissey have clearly provided, and this is something special. Imagine Four Tet, Squarepusher, the Brodsky Quartet and a young Scott Walker collaborating… and you perhaps start to get close to this. This album will benefit from repeated listens, and reveal it’s charms and hidden delights the more you hear it. It was released last year, and I can only regret I didn’t hear it before. Make sure you do so now, especially ‘Grief Hijackers,’ one of the few times I can remember feeling genuinely sorry when a song ended.
