GALLEONS - Cloud Physics

England seems closer than we are to the ideal of the “leisure society”, when you listen to records like those by Galleons, an exquisite representation of an activity that may be a side pursuit from a purely logistical, temporal and financial standpoint, but is utterly central to the heart of whoever practises it.

The Brighton band returns just a year after their previous, self-titled debut, pouring all of their ambitions into the new record, also promoted via a Kickstarter campaign launched to support its release.

Above all in the drive of the songs, less measured than on the previous, excellent album, one senses a growing confidence in the band, sharper in its choices – decidedly fuller-bodied – and in its forceful tone (reminiscent of Red River Dialect) right from the opening title track, which possesses a new evocative power in the vibrating strings of “Folly On The Mountain” and in the overcast elegance of “One Enormous Thread”, a suite for strings and piano.

“Cloud Physics” stands out for the way it lends measure and solemnity to Galleons' folk-pop constructions, without depriving them of their freshness – indeed sharpening their charm, especially in the less immediate passages (“Breathe”).

There's naturally no shortage of gentler, more intricately embroidered moments (“Mr. Fox”, the folksy skip of “No It’s Not”, with its McLennan-esque charm), though the real achievement of Galleons on “Cloud Physics” is to have sharpened and brought out the more dynamic side of their music, in a thoroughly organic effort. Who knows, maybe we'll soon get to see them over here.

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25/10/2013