Not one to stand still, former Coral guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones has adopted a far more muscular sound on his third solo album. His vocals are still relatively hushed, but where once the backing was equally subdued, now the likes of Two to Birkenhead and Satellites are unapologetically rock, albeit of the skew-whiff type at which Pavement once excelled. The more introspective moments (Wild Roses, Seabirds) are equally strong. Lyrically, Ryder-Jones once again proves himself a compelling storyteller, whether succinctly conjuring unbearably poignant scenarios in Daniel (“When we lost our little boy we tried so hard to stay together”) or delivering unvarnished vignettes of messy yet, loving relationships in Catharine and Huskisson. It all makes for his most coherent effort yet.
