Golden Fable – Ancient Blue

Life in Tim and Sam’s Tim and the Sam Band with Tim and Sam must have been difficult for Rebecca Palin. As well as the carpal strain of filling out that protracted moniker on forms and such, it was presumably stifling not being able to utilise her classical vocal training in what was predominantly an instrumental act; a situation that offshoot Golden Fable rectifies to a fault.

Formed in 2011 with Tim and Sam bandleader Tim McIver, they quietly impressed with debut Star Map, on which Palin’s pristine pipes floated above and around a charming combination of placid electronica and dreamy indie-pop. Unfortunately, second album Ancient Blue leans too heavily on the former chorister’s crystalline soprano, which this time barely strays from the highest registers. The angelic tone is initially striking but pales with overexposure, distracting from variety elsewhere in the mix – though taken in discrete doses, songs like Lifeline remain capable of raising goosebumps. [Chris Buckle]