Two years on from their first release and being shoved under the collective woolly hat of the "new acoustic movement", I Am Kloot prove that, like many of their turn-of-the-century contemporaries, there's a lot more to them than introspective acoustic strumathons and scruffy Manchurian accents. From the whimsical romance of "From Your Favourite Sky" ("Who am I to dare to pull the stars from your favourite sky?" croons John Bramwell) to the the lo-fi rumblings of "Life in the Day", this is distorted British folk infused with a crusty northern accent and trickling melodies. "Untitled No. 1" demonstrates their ethos admirably, benefiting from a lazy but essential melody that the dirty, parched beast of "Life in the Day" seems to lack. (That's surprising, as Ian Broudie has produced this along with several others here.) The melodic drought clears up though and the songs are free to reveal their character, imagination and scope, following country lanes of heartbreak and dusty tracks leading to romantic regrets, with "Here for the World" sounding like it could have been written and performed by Bono (at least in terms of the wry, sardonic delivery anyway). "We've no reminders / No old photograph / Did you come for the money / Will you leave for the lack?" Bramwell asks, rhetorically. In fact, there's more Snow Patrol and Johnny Cash here than Elbow. I Am Kloot is a black piece of work, ambitious and experienced--the tale of a weary traveller, sick with the world, but with the glory of it reflected in his tired eyes. Against the odds, I Am Kloot have managed to produce a classic, individual album of their own eccentric styling. --Cortman Virtue
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