Reviewed by Paul Ewbank

The debut album from Oxford duo Elijah's Tree starts and ends well enough for you to forgive a couple of rather questionable choices towards the middle. The pair play a kind of jangly pop rock reminiscent of early R.E.M., topped with sunny vocal harmonies and some eclectic folk instrumentation. The slow groove and leisurely guitar lines of the title track make for a brilliant late night campfire sing-along, while the propulsive drumming and infectious vocal melodies of "The Fourth Man" make for an instantly likeable pop rocker. Things run aground somewhat with "Misdirection". The jumbled structure and awkward attempt at polka rhythms feel totally out of place even before the trumpet solo kicks in, resulting in a track unfortunately worthy of its name. The stab at contemporary pop on "Slow Down" isn't quite as bad but the similarities to Bruno Mars' "The Lazy Song" - even down to the whistling - won't be lost on anyone who's listened to the radio in the last five years. Fortunately things pick up again after these two clunkers, rounding out the album with more earnest acoustic pop tracks and the gorgeous, uplifting piano led "All We've Seen". 'Fool's Gold' is clearly the work of a fledgling act - the rough recording quality and a few dodgy vocal harmonies make the songs harder to enjoy than they should be. Even so this is a duo with considerable charm and a promising talent for turning Biblical truths into catchy songs.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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