The Civil Wars
Album: Barton Hollow
Label: Columbia
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.thecivilwars.com

They shifted 300,000 albums in the States before they signed a major record deal, made it to the top of the iTunes chart and trousered a brace of Grammy awards - that should stand The Civil Wars in pretty good stead when it comes to cracking the UK. An appearance on Later…, a few shows in the right places, Adele's endorsement, a bit of telly and the arrival of their debut album makes the Nashville duo a racing certainty for critics' end of year lists.

Yep, we love a bit of the dark stuff and these dusty, country-folk songs are peppered with dangerous yarns, sorrowful laments and the freshest thing to happen to American Gothic since Grant Wood picked up his paintbrushes. The Civil Wars aren't the first act to marry deep truths about love with the simple resonance of acoustic guitar and piano, but what sets them apart from the likes of Mazzy Star, She & Him and Low is the sublime way in which the voices of Joy Williams and John Paul White literally melt together. So entwined are they in places that it's impossible to hear where one ends and the other begins.

From the angsty scrape of the title track - as animated as this music gets - to the minimal arrangements and sparse production of signature tune Poison & Wine, this is premium grade, ageless Americana that echoes the disturbing tales of olde English broadside ballads.

Bonus tracks on the expanded edition of the album include arresting covers of Billie Jean and I Want You Back that reconstitute the songs' lyrical content in the context of Barton Hollow's tales of doomed lovers and debased relationships.

Nick Churchill
www.thegranvillechambers.co.uk