Timber Timbre – Timber Timbre

Timber Timbre is the project of Taylor Kirk, a Canadian singer-songwriter with a love for blues, folk, and country. Yup, i know, heard it all before, but Kirk, drafting in some helping hands, has crafted a genuinely alluring record here; his UK debut and third overall. Opener, Demon Host – a tender, restrained number in which Kirk channels a bizarre hybrid of Bright Eyes and a haunting, infinitely more subtle Randy Newman that works surprisingly well – sort of sets the tone for the seven remaining tracks.

It's an album that sounds just sparse enough to feel honest and untouched but little clusters of vocal and piano textures weave in and out to ensure you remain enthralled throughout. Incorporating elements of hazy 60s psych and rockabilly, and refusing to pander to basic acoustic album convention, it's an interesting piece of work, and indeed, an indicator of TT's largely unnoticed talent. [Ryan Drever]