Ok, time to hold my hands up. In the past I’ve tried to offer Luke constructive criticism that while a talented musician, his vocals let the side down. ‘Garde Ta Foy’ basically makes me look like an idiot – this is excellent and Luke’s best work by an absolute mile. And not only is it his best work, but it pushes him up into the realms of Remarkable Rocket and co in the solo stakes. To be honest, it’s quite remarkable just how much growth there is in the quality of the songs, the songwriting and, most noticeably, Luke’s voice.
And while the vocals aren’t perfect, he’s learned to sing within himself and find his own little comfort zone. The oft-whispery, very British vocals were a welcome surprise during opener ‘Nothing Has Changed’, of which the piano part reminds me of the Beatles. I think this is more the fact that Luke’s songwriting style has developed into something more timeless and classic rather than ripping off Bright Eyes as he did previously. ‘I Never Say What I Mean’ is excellent – very Coldplay incidentally – arguably the best song here. And while there’s still a Bright Eyes influence, I think ‘The Rain Will Come Again’ is quite Conor Oberst-ish, I believe there’s more of a classic than contemporary influence here, which actually suits the album so much better.
The use of violins, female backing vocals and a variety of other instruments gives this record a really full and warm feeling too, which is lovely. The crux of the matter is this is excellent, so fair play to Luke for improving no end. This really is ‘simply’ brilliant, so check it out.