Thanks For Your Thoughts

Martin Roman Rebelski is probably better known to most of us as the man who provides keyboards for Doves both in studio and on tour, but his debut album reveals him to be something of a musical chameleon.

For starters, it’s all instrumental, as Rebelski goes about creating his musical soundscapes without the aid of the human voice. But it crosses and by-passes more musical styles over the course of its eight songs than many acts manage in a whole career.

Opener ‘Three’ is part cinematic sweep, part barrage of doctored sound effects, and you think you have him pegged as a bedsit composer, slaving over his Casio into the witching hours while all round him sleep. Then ‘Scarecrow’ comes along and takes you by the hand towards the dancefloor, with its seriously funky Northern soul leanings. ‘Unlikely Tale’ takes you back into the cinema, except this time you’re watching through the incessant rain and window wipers of a Ford Anglia as you cruise through another grey day in suburbia and everyone seems to be giving you the funniest looks. ‘Toy Shop’ sounds like a music box, albeit one programmed by a robot, while ‘Tiddlywinks’ is simply gorgeous.

Less impressive is ‘The Swarm’, which is little more than background music, while ‘Walkie Talkie’ has a touch too much of a 1970s TV cop show about it. Much better is the album closer, the brilliant ‘Dad’s Hi-Fi’, apparently knocked out one Christmas in his parents’ house – here be hints that Rebelski could have something of the Michael Nyman about him, if he so desires.

A restrained and relaxing and often beautiful trip through Martin’s musical musings, then, which won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but is the perfect album to chill out to after a stressful few hours in the day-job. Trust me.