Sam Kills Two – Pretty Ugly

The chat surrounding Sam Kills Two’s 2009 debut tended to focus on the involvement of Dodgy frontman Nigel Clark, noting the absence of chirpy Britpop repeats amidst the London quartet’s melancholic produce. Singer/songwriter Fred Bjorkvall can’t have appreciated being overlooked, with his doleful delivery (reminiscent of Midlake’s Tim Smith) shaping Sam Kill Two’s sound a heck of a lot more than bucket hats and VW campervans.

Second album Pretty Ugly indicates an Elliott Smith infatuation both in its title and sombre atmosphere, and over the course of an hour the influence is successfully embodied frequently enough to stave off boredom. But there are production issues: the drums often sound flat, and the radar-like chimes in Bright Eyes come off like an interesting idea poorly executed. Factor in some pedestrian arrangements and Pretty Ugly goes down as a flawed effort, but a step towards brighter and better things. [Chris Buckle]