Tremulous Monks’ (aka – Chris Wilkinson) second album is aptly titled with these 12 twee, lo-fi country pop songs mainly about love. Monk’s voice may not be the greatest but it fits perfectly into this collection of late night summer songs. Each song has a delicate, melancholic feel and you can tell that Monk is a sensitive soul without seeming as soft as the likes of Bright Eyes. Although tracks such as ‘200 Yards’ suggest heartbreak and loneliness in the past, Monkey Tree (“You can swing like a monkey from a tree and of course you can cling to me”) and ‘Is It Love I Feel’ suggest a man now content with life. The music often shares the kind of drone you’d associate with the Velvet Underground and the basic, non-traditional solo of ‘Load Up’ further demonstrates Monk’s debt to Lou Reed, although this acoustic guitar-piano friendly record is definitely better to share with friends and lovers. Fans of Sparklehorse and Teenage Fanclub take note.
