Forest Fire - Staring At The X

New on Fat Cat, this is grand widescreen sounding arty rock but with a lo-fidelity clattering production that ensures it stops short of sounding like The Killers or some other sheeny guff. Instead the main comparison would be to The Walkmen or The National. The album is a slow burner but tracks like 'Future Shadows' slowly reveal themselves to be something very fine indeed. 'The News' is an excellent, immediate hummable tune which sounds like Bruce Springsteen collaborating with Deerhunter. Some of the production touches are amazingly daring - a hilarious saxophone solo on 'The News' is followed by an ending so abrupt it will ensure the song will struggle even for 6 Music play but its amazingly catchy. 'They Pray Execution Style' changes tack again with Suicide like atmospherics and ghostly Mazzy Star vocals. The album takes time, for sure, and some of the madcap arrangements might startle but there's something in these songs that suggests that this lot might be very popular indeed.