1001 Albums Summary

Some very fresh, jangly-sounding guitar work which was later copied by legions of inferior indie bands. The lyrics are by turns witty and pretentious. Feel I would have enjoyed it more as a teenager.

The cliche 'stripped back' comes to mind. Drake sings softly over his own guitar. I loved this album. A very Cohenesque type of melancholy, and some lovely imagery throughout. Each song is a gentle tragedy. His songs are not just rambles or excuses for poetry, however - each has a distinct musical identity and a graceful, folksy sense of melody.

Burke has a glorious baritone voice. By turns controlled, then exploding, bursting in despair; rich, then shaky. Lyrically, the album is squarely focused on love's despair - the despair when love is going well, and when love is over. Musically, the drums and piano plonk in compound time, the connecting tissue to squelchy guitar, horn parps, and a thick, billowy cloud of backing vocals.