I have issues with bands having a multitude of members! Anything over the old four-piece rock n roll combo needs justifying in my book and this lot weigh in with nine contributors, including two trumpeters and a stand up drummer would you believe it?!

Putting my unjustified prejudices to one side though, here we have a North London outfit whose debut album last year gained a fair amount of underground critical acclaim. They swathe themselves in retro morosity and bear close allegiance to Nick Cave both in terms of the sulky atmosphere and the rich vocal depth of Paul van Oestern. But it’s the complimentary vocals of Catherine Turner that adds scope to their performance (not the bloody trumpets!).

The title track here is a sultry yet seductive number, stripped down instrumentally to allow the strength of that vocal duetting to shine through. It’s almost sleazy in its delivery, particularly with lyrics like “I’ll take off your skirt for you and bury my dirt in you”, which is somewhat difficult to misinterpret.

“Mercy Me” is a brief choral adventure with an orchestral backdrop of sound before a slightly longer version of “Shoot You Down”, then “To Forgive” where Turner’s fragile vocals are backed by a more electronic arena, sounding very much like Portishead, before charging into a calypso (with trumpets!). Final track is a remake of last year’s single “I Can’t Help Myself” which remains a very good song, given an atmospheric work over here and leaves the EP with a desolate unease, including an eerie trumpet (yes, trumpet!) solo, then a fitting delicate acoustic exit from the EP.

An impressive outing all up then and, despite not receiving the justification for the size of the forum, a bleak yet compelling set of songs. If you feel that way inclined, you can get it on 12 inch red vinyl as well, so go buy it because the royalties are being spread very thinly!

4/5

http://www.myspace.com/thebookhouseboys

TC