Album Review

William Fitzsimmons comes back with this new collection of re-imaginings from The Sparrow And The Crow. It remixes and adds electronic tinges to mainly folk style tracks which is something that will always pique the interest.

From the off the thing that stood out for me was the expert construction in the mixing of the electronic music within the song. It is not overly in your face (or ears I guess) at any point, in fact it is wonderfully subtle and slow burning. In opening tracks I Dont Feel It Anymore and If You Would Come Back Home the complimentary styles and fabulous production makes it so easy and enjoyable to listen to. The vocals in both tracks are also fantastically performed, whispered with gentle emotion. It really reminds me of Postal Service in its mood and style. The acoustic version of the opening track is equally fantastic, showcasing the vocals even better.

You Still Hurt Me is a devastating piece of melancholy acoustics, sounding like Irish bands The Frames during their For The Birds era. So This Is Goodbye is admittedly not the most engaging of songs but the vocal delivery and harmonies are more than enough to make it pass the test. Goodmorning is again excellently produced and keeps to the excellent blueprint set from the start. The remix of This is Goodbye adds the extra atmosphere that was needed and turns it in another winner. The final track is cover of Katy Perrys I Kissed A Girl which is a decent note to leave on.

Fitzsimmons seems to have poured his heart into this collection and the result is one of the most consistent pieces of music you will find all year. From start to finish the level rarely wanes and if you want to have a clearer indication of how good it is I would say it stands proudly beside Postal Services Give Up. A staggeringly high class mix of emotion, dance production and above all, talent.