The Soundcarriers – Harmonium

The beautifully lush sound The Soundcarriers purvey here on their debut is part Stereolab, part Free Design and all gorgeous. The Nottingham quartet have crafted 16 songs that by rights should provide the chill-out soundtrack to everyone’s summer – from the sensuous shimmer of first track proper ‘Time Will Come’ to the closing chords of the title track this is a beautiful exercise in first-rate psych-folk.

‘Calling Me’, with it’s haunting flute backing track, is a particular highlight in the early part of the album whilst ‘Been Out To Sea’ perfectly conjures up images of drifting aimlessly off shore, preferably around the Greek islands. Maintaining a laid-back, near-Lounge vibe throughout the musicianship is top quality and there is not a duff track or filler amongst the whole bunch. My only quibble in fact is due to a track that is not on the album but can be heard on the band’s MySpace page ‘I Had A Girl’ to my mind fits perfectly with the rest of their output so I’m a bit mystified as regards to its omission.This record will hopefully be ubiquitous on car stereos for summer drives as we weather the crunch by staying home for the holidays. Be careful though – it could transport you further than you intended going …