Peter Mulvey is a truly distinct artist; as a lyricist he’s articulate and unpredictable, and his rhythmic guitar work and varying musical styles make him stand out from the crowd. This description could apply to any of his previous albums, but this new disc raises the bar even further and shows an artist who has soaked up a huge range of musical influences and is confident enough to try and pack most of them into a 13 song collection, and the result is unlike anything else you’ll hear this (or any other) year.
Amongst the songs you’ll find references to subjects as diverse as Shelley, Marcus Aurelius, Lao Tzu, Eisenhower, Munch’s ‘The Scream’ and Gershwin – it’s this diversity and constant supply of great lines that give this disc it’s swagger and charm.
Musically it’s a staggeringly broad piece of work, which is wholly appropriate given the feel of the lyrics, and the songs range from country waltz (‘Abeline’), to guitar based pop (‘Girl in the Hi-tops’) to an outrageous jazz-tinged cover of U2’s ‘The Fly’
The musicians on show are all excellent and there’s a natural ‘loose’ feel across the disc with some superb playing in places from the small group of musicians who include David Goodrich, Lou Ulrich, Mike Piehl and Kris Delmhorst.
While it may sound like the album is a stream of musical and lyrical non- sequiturs, the disc is full of excellent lyrics and some sublime musical moments – but it’s generally the more nonsensical and obtuse lines that you’ll end up singing out loud.
This is a disc quite unlike anything else we carry, and although it feels a little frivolous in places it’s matched by equal measures of brilliance. Not for everyone, but certainly memorable!

£13.49