Jeremy Warmsley - How We Became

Jeremy Warmsley has been building quite a name for himself, with high profile support gigs with Daniel Johnson, Regina Spektor, Iron and Wine, and The Shins. Rubbing shoulders with such indie royalty has undoubtedly had its perks, including the roping in of Markus Dravs (Bjork, Arcade Fire) to the producer's chair. It's a shame then that the bombast and polish that has graced these acts is not evident in How We Became, which seems like Brett Anderson of Suede trying to emulate Thom Yorke. It's not that Warmsley is a sub-standard musician or writer - the opening track Lose My Cool ends with a snippet of him performing the track live on piano, and highlights exactly what a great song lies beneath the bells and whistles. Warmsley is also refreshingly nasty in places - his lyrics on If He Breaks Your Heart spell out, in no uncertain terms, what he will do to anyone messing with his unrequited love. There are some great songs on this album that are apparently buried under some Postal Service-style Apple Mac recording techniques. With a full band behind him, Warmsley may well yet live up to the hype. [Ewen Millar]