10.
The Leisure Society
The Sleeper

A confident, but very delicate debut from England’s The Leisure Society. They’re lead by Nick Hemming, who used to be in a band with Paddy Considine and Shane Meadows – Hemming wrote the music for a number of Meadows’ films, including the awesome Dead Man’s Shoes. This album draws on the various strands of ‘nu-folk’, and so has clear links to the likes of Bright Eyes, The Hotel Alexis, Ambrose Tompkins and Noah And The Whale. The songs are all vulnerable and beautiful, and there is a wide range of stringed and woodwind instruments used to create a variety of touching sounds. Simplicity is at the heart of the record though, and some of the tracks are really minimalist. Over everything, Hemming’s emotional voice pulls on the heart strings. The lyrics are always intelligent without being flashy, and, although the key theme is love (of the broken-hearted melancholic variety), there are also references to apathy, American homogeny and social alienation. Nothing here is massively original, but it really is all done so well. The sort of album that could easily pass people by; it’s not likely to create any kind of great stir in the wider consciousness. If it’s passed you by, go back and get it.