Produced by Paul Webb, aka Rustin Man, 'The Year of the Leopard' has a similarly autumnal atmosphere to his collaboration with Beth Gibbons, 'Out of Season'. It's an album for the quiet moments, reflecting the line "I live for your quiet embrace" in opener The Summer Song. This time around Yorkston doesn't credit The Athletes on the sleeve, probably because he plays most of the instruments himself, including Mandolin, Concertina and Bouzouki, although he is helped out by various members of the Fence Collective. The subtlety of this instrumentation creates an intimate warmth and calm that can't help but be contagious, as Yorkston weaves subtle tales of equal intimacy featuring such tender lyrics as "After a long sad day/Your cat recognises my misadventure/she climbed and slept upon my chest/And she rose and fell with my breathing/Like a sea bird riding a wave." [Milo McLaughlin]
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