Three Blind Wolves – Sing Hallelujah For the Old Machine

Right back to his solo days as a fixture in Glasgow’s live listings, Ross Clark has been an attention-grabbing performer. Back then, his noticeability was partly down to the spirited manner in which he conducted his live sets, but now more than ever, it’s the songs that turn heads – well, that and his expert Telly Monster impression, as rolled out in Sex is For Loser’s opening lines.

Their honking delivery sees Clark’s mannered style exceed its reach and tumble close to self-parody, but thankfully it’s an isolated incident, with his craggy vocals otherwise bracingly emotive (on the likes of Edgar’s Church) and rousingly vociferous (particularly so across Honey Fire’s grizzled expanse). Musically, too, things have upped a gear since last the Wolves convened on record, with the second half of their ostensible ‘country-rock’ pigeonhole now more forcefully underscored, and tracks like In Here Somewhere evincing the confidence with which they currently operate. [Chris Buckle]