Throw a dart in the air of any hamlet, village, town or city in the UK and the chances are it’ll land on the head of an introverted and melancholic singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar, a sad face and who in all likelihood, will be more Charlie Drake than Nick Drake. Happily, Ivan Moult falls into the latter category and though clearly a fan of Nick Drake, and John Martyn for that matter, there are hints of Iron & Wine too.
Cardiff based Ivan Moult is a convincing and sincere songwriter and, coupled with some sublime orchestration by Callum Duggan, has produced a remarkable and heartfelt record pertaining to love found, lived and lost. At times painful, at times raw, often lush and always emotional, much like love itself, tracks like ‘Keep Cautious’ and ‘Fool on the Floor’ are worth the entrance fee alone.
In short, Moult’s wonderful playing and wholly believable vocals, the beautiful orchestration and affecting subject matter, makes for an enthralling, occasionally uncomfortable, but always impressive LP.
Summary
A not so rare bit of Welsh beauty
