Stylusboy
Album: Hospitality For Hope
Label: Wild Sounds
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.stylusboy.co.uk

The first thing you need to know about Stylusboy is that they are actually a male/female duo and if you know that the chances are you also know that "Lantern", the opening track on "Hospitality For Hope", was released earlier in the year as a single, one that got the band a number of plays and critical recognition on both indie and internet radio stations.

"Hospitality For Hope" confirms the duo as songwriters with a rich line in well thought out folk pop, resplendent in both lyrical and musical barbs that belie a relaxed, almost easy going, delivery that can, lead you into false sense of security if you're in a mood to let it wash over you, only to sudden snap back into the context of the song by a well delivered line or chord.

"Hospitality For Hope" can work as an album to relax to. It's easy to indulge yourself in the luxurious harmonies and be distracted away from the worst of the world by the boy, girl vocal attack, but to do so sells both you and the album short as this is an album that rewards the effort you put into it.

It's when you listen properly, you realise how deceptively simple the album sounds, the quality of the performance that has made the album seem effortless. The interaction between not only the singers, but also the way they build the voices into the songs really does have to be applauded.

As I mentioned at the start of the review, "Hospitality For Hope" starts with the single, but you could put the album on random play and have pretty much any track worthy of being a single as the opener. The real strength of Stylusboy is that they have delivered an album that works as a whole, but also one that works with its constituent parts scattered to the four winds and that takes some doing. It also makes for an album that is easy to recommend and one that should appeal across the board.

Neil King