Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson

Few archetypes have lasted in contemporary music’s ever-changing topography like the heartfelt singer-songwriter. But if the thought of another soul-bearing, romanticised poet Laureate for the disillusioned doesn’t inspire much excitement, don’t despair - the precisely named Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson may just rescue the role from its open-mic cliché. The first clue is the patronage of half of Grizzly Bear and Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio, acts that are yet to paddle in mediocre waters and who can hardly be accused of being by-the-numbers in either their musical careers, or, it seems, listening habits. The rest of the evidence lies in the record itself: from the slow-build passion of Buriedfed’s opening, through the feedback-drenched garage stomp of Woodfriend and the aching lament of Above the Sun, the album absorbs and envelops all the way to its rousing, country-tinged finale and leaves the speakers far, far too soon. Tremendous.