Robyn Hitchcock -‘Love From London.’ (Yep Roc)

Sixty this month, former Soft Boys frontman Robyn Hitchcock has apparently (at least, it’s what the press release says) described his songs as ‘Paintings you can listen too.’ The thing is, whilst that might ring alarm bells for some people, there’s something about these ten songs that sit together rather nicely. And they are constructed in a way that suggests that he knows his craft and that his work comes from his own soul.

It’s not always that albums open with quite soft numbers, and yet ‘Harry’s Song’ actually sets the tone for the record rather wonderfully. And along with the single ‘Be Still’ there’s the album’s standout track ‘Strawberries Dress’ which combines The Beatles circa The White album with Around The World In A Day-era Prince. The cherry on the top of this song most definitely being the gorgeous ‘cello from Jenny Adejayan.

So, a rather lovely record all round. If you aren’t familiar with his work, this is certainly not a bad place to start investigating…

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Love From London is released on Yep Roc on March 4.