The Phantom Band - Checkmate Savage

Named due to their somewhat elusive activities under a string of band names as long as your arm, Glaswegian collective The Phantom Band release Checkmate Savage, their first album proper. Lead single Throwing Bones was enough to prick up Chemikal Underground’s collective ear and it’s easy to hear why. If the somewhat unexpected barber-shop quartet breakdown midway through its quirky country bop-along doesn’t slap a big smile on your mug, you may want to check your pulse for recent activity.

On Folk Song Oblivion, singer Rick Redbeard comes across like Smog’s Bill Callahan ghost-writing for the Beta Band, with the end mantra of “I can’t see for the mountain’s silhouette” likely to stalk you for the remainder of your day. The pulsing bass and jangly guitar punctuations of opener The Howling invoke Stereolab holed up in a log cabin, the near-perfect layers of instrumentation and warm spacing providing an irresistible welcome to an impressive debut.