The indie-folk Brits follow up to Beachcomber’s Windowsill delivers on some of the promise of their 2010 debut with plenty of charming melodies and clever lyrics.
While there’s no doubt that the Oxford outfit can write a good story, yet some of the tracks on Tales From Terra Firma lack staying power.
First single, ‘Knock Me On The Head’ is an endearing track providing one of the catchier choruses of the record. “You hung an albatross around my neck / But you needed to knock me on the head and say / No no no no!” cries vocalist Brian Briggs.
The record kicks off with ‘Take Me As I Am’, a likeable love song that is remarkably rich with horns, strings and piano all chiming in. Wordsmith Briggs paints a vivid picture through clever and poetic lyrics. The narrative takes you on a colourful journey across the English countryside, seeming to tie in perfectly with the coastal Scottish town the band is named after.
The track is followed by ‘Farewell Appalachia’, a slow and often grating track that is easily forgotten. As is the experimental ‘Hook, Line, Sinker’ which also fails to impress.
The quartet are inevitably and repeatedly compared to the UK’s biggest folk export, Mumford & Sons and unfortunately this record fails to knock the global conquerors from their pedestal. Otherwise Tales From Terra Firma is a likeable album filled with plenty of fun melodies, along with beautiful and vibrant stories.
