Sweet Billy Pilgrim – We Just Did What Happened And No One Came (Wonderland Avenue).

This is Sweet Billy Pilgrim’s debut album and they; yes they (not one person but three) are the subject of quite a bit of chatter at the moment. 3,000 downloads of their last song, Forget To Breathe, in 3 weeks will testify to this. As debut albums goes I have to say that this is one of the most accomplished that I have heard. Atlantis is a low key opener and has some hints of Peter Gabriel in the vocal. This is folkadelica and will most likely become a favourite of the future. Stars Spill Out Of Cups has already been released on a successful EP and has as beautiful a chorus as you are likely to hear. All of the songs on the album are written by Tim Elsenburg and the other members of the trio are Anthony Bishop and Alistair Hamer. This is definitely not in your face music and I found it very soothing. The haunting God In The Details is very original and very probably will get under your skin. Elsenburg again shows that he has a talent for writing a chorus. Faraway vocals introduce In The Water I Am Beautiful and gives up folk for people who don’t really want to admit that they like folk music.

There’s been a bit of banjo playing so far on the album and Deshonrado has some more but the most interesting piece about this song is that the vocalist sounds as if he is in the room with you. Very clear and great production on this and it is the best song so far. No Jesus In Here is some more gentle, easy going material and harks back to Neil Young in his Harvest Moon period. This contributes to a very strong middle section to the album. Experience is painfully slow with signs of Robert Fripp and King Crimson whereas Black Flag is not much faster but does get them back on form. If you have heard and liked King Creosote then you will certainly like these guys. The final track comes along all too quickly and Atropina keeps up the sedate pace of its predecessors. I’m trying hard to think what this reminds me of and the only thing that I can come up with is Aqualung but not the Jethro Tull effort.

Just drift away on this selection of songs – it is sublime.

http://www.wonderlandmedia.net/
http://www.sweetbillypilgrim.com/

Copyright David Blue 2006.