April 30, 2007

Alberta Cross

The Thief & The Heartbreaker

5 / 10 As Primal Scream, The Thrills and the half of The Earlies who aren’t Texan have proved, you don’t need to be American to make Americana. It’s a loophole that London’s Alberta Cross have leapt through with glee. Petter Ericson Stakee and Terry Wolfers look like lost members of The Eagles, their album title sounds like a song by The Band and their CD sleeve is deliberately mildewed to resemble a love-worn copy of Neil Young’s ‘Harvest’. Their music canes these three dominating influences to the point of pastiche. The smouldering gospel harmonies of the title track and the plaintive strum of ‘I’ve Known For Long’ ensure that Alberta Cross’ debut is a pleasant, sun-dappled listen, but there’s nothing of themselves in it.

Sam Richards

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