The Hour Of Bewilderbeast

Damon Gough aka Badly Drawn Boy has been quoted as saying he doesn't mind if it takes twenty years for people to realise how good this album is, but hopes it will one day be considered a classic piece of work.

Whether his hopes are fulfilled remains to be seen, but his debut does take time and repeated listening before its full fruits are revealed.

Bewilderbeast concerns itself with all things elemental, with Gough a worldly traveller in search of childlike wonder and innocence, endlessly tracking emotional metaphors through country nature trails on songs like, 'Fall In A River', 'Stone On The Water' and 'Cause A Rockslide'.

Amidst all the pastoral beauty and jangly guitars lies something dark and slightly sinister - it's the shadowy shapes lurking just on the periphery of ostensibly simple songs which make his work so intriguing.

You could point to the surreptitious echoes of old seventies disco-funk and eighties pop ballads, the distorted loops and ghostly sound effects, or the odd bursts of instrumentation which wend their merry way through the songs - wurlitzers and theremins appearing and disappearing on a whim - without ever really putting your finger on it.

'Once Around The Block' is the glittering jewel nestling at the heart of the album, encapsulating the fascination of new love, a recurring theme. Other high points include the Simon & Garfunkelesque 'This Song', while 'Blistered Heart' and 'Disillusion' (featuring members of Doves on guitar) explore the bitter aftertaste of love gone sour.

It may take some time, but I doubt it will take twenty years for Bewilderbeast to work its magic on most listeners. An impressive debut.