The [Future] King of Scotland - I'm Not Angry, It's Just You Broke My Heart

Glancing at the title, it doesn't seem like we're in for a cheery ride here and, only a minute in, we've already covered lyrics about heartbreak and fire. However, this proves to be something of a red herring as what unfolds is not the journey into deepest despair that it might have been. No, I'm Not Angry... is brilliantly realised: sensitive, melodic and as touching as it is vitriolic. Yes, it is dark in places - and pitch black in many more - but it's strangely uplifting, as on The Girl Who Walks Over Glass and brilliantly spiteful The Bottom Has Fallen Out. Just when it seems to descend into misery, it pulls itself out with melodies that echo the blues while simultaneously reaching for the stars. It's a trick The Twilight Sad have mastered, and The [Future] King of Scotland is very nearly there. Unsettling but oddly majestic, this marks the birth of a strange new talent. [Heather Crumley]