Randolph's Leap – Cowardly Deeds

A change of label has done little to dull the copious appeal of Randolph’s Leap. Having hopped from Lost Map back to their original home on Olive Grove, Adam Ross and his many-legged baroque-pop outfit plough a familiar furrow with this latest collection.

Brass and strings are liberally peppered over ten tracks, but with none of the po-faced seriousness that such classical instruments can often bring. The Leap’s approach is more akin to Glaswegian mariachis Woodenbox, with a focus on fun melodies and raucous live shows; the 150-odd-second blast of Not Thinking will fit in seamlessly. 

Regret and epic closer Saying Nothing do bring a more reflective tone and there’s a little progression here – Microcosm’s muscular (albeit stripped back) approach sounds more like the Pixies before it erupts into a big trumpet-laden sing-along. It’s a trick they often employ but it’s executed with such joyful abandon that only the hardest of hearts could complain.