Charlie Barnes

Take a title from a Kurt Vonnegut short story, influences from Edith Piaf to Mew and have your album produced by Steve Durose from Oceansize, and the result could be a pretentious cacophony. It�s not, neither is it a straightforward listen, with lush instrumentation, dazzling musicianship and an extraordinary vocal performance from Charlie Barnes.

First of all he does sound a little like Matt Bellamy, but that�s mainly when he�s letting go as on the driving pop of Sing to God and Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth where he experiments with walls of sound, light and shade, all in just 4 minutes.

However, digging deeper and closer listens reveal that he goes well beyond those Musings. The gloriously haunting extravagance of Balloons and the playful solo piano of Ghosts demonstrate a grasp of various musical dynamics.

What also becomes clear is how forthright the album sounds: the production is big, it�s in your face, all the time. As such the album could have a distancing effect on some. It�s a solid album and there�s much to like and admire. It may take a little time for the subtleties to work through but it�s worth the extra effort.