Album Review

The Brian Jacket Letdown – Darling Bit Me

• 7th Jun 2009

The Brian Jacket Letdown were assembled in 2004 and come with a raft of eclectic instruments in tow from a tuba to an Oboe plus a skip load of every conceivable musical appliance made available to an orchestra and beyond. Kicking off with ‘Sometimes’ the mix of alt-country and ghostly vocals is reminiscent of Beatles era ‘Sgt Pepper’. The intelligent use of instruments prevents the songs from being bloated and so are simply stripped down to loveable folk pop. ‘White Sky’ is SFA in their ‘radiator mode’ – honing some soft electronic beats with a loving esprit vocal. It’s pretty dreamy stuff and beautifully arranged. There are tinges of Flaming Lips and Granddaddy in what they do and that is a testament to their skill at being able to deliver in such a grandiose style. ‘Wolfie Boy’ is tuba riddled throughout whilst going head to head with a cello and viola. It’s definitely the stuff of dreams for Leonard Bernstein – god bless his soul.

A really simple and clever album that really should be way above most in the pecking order. If there is any justice then greatness should be a short step away!!