It’s not the most upbeat of releases, but Michael Timmons isn’t here to offer cheer. Not that the lyrics on his 10-track debut are particularly ‘down’, they’re instead rather obtuse, which means that the mood is set by the sparse acoustics.
Producer Andy Miller is best-known for work with Mogwai and The Delgados, bands who demand a full-on sound. Timmons, by contrast, offers a stark sonic outlook, his guitar chiming through the silence – ‘Fall Back’ recalls the Blue Nile at their most sparse, while Timmons’ falsetto occasionally soars into Thom Yorke territory.
There’s occasional virtuoso guitar work as on ‘In Frame’ but in fact, the real strength of this album is its downbeat darkness. One to wallow in.
This article originally appeared in the Motherwell Times