February 29, 2008

Ferraby Lionheart

Catch The Brass Ring

5 / 10 Los Angeles: land of the fake, where nothing is normal, so for an album recorded in and inspired by it, this is refreshingly simple folk-pop. Like Badly Drawn Boy with a worldview of palm trees instead of cotton mills, this sun-kissed singer-songwriter rides an orange bike, is environmentally conscious and likes to make people smile. Indeed, the piano plink of ‘Small Planet’ or the forlorn, brass-led ‘Before We’re Dead’ will have you ambling down Sunset Boulevard pondering life’s wonderful foibles. Trouble is, Ferraby’s positive outlook is ceaseless – even Dave Grohl has his dark side – and you can’t bare your soul without documenting the time you were cut up on your orange bike by that prick in a Hummer on the way to the studio. Don’t bottle it up, mate, you’re a Los Angelean – you’ll only end up in an ambulance clutching a miniature dog and wailing about how you’re the victim.

Matt Warwick

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