The Irrepressibles - From the Circus to the Sea

Soundtracking Shelly Love's film of forgotten circus players, Jamie McDermott assembles an orchestra to fulfil his fantastic musical dreams. Inter-song motifs hint at greater themes that expand into three full songs of haunting melody and despair, the swinging dynamics recalling dancers and the trapeze. Welling orchestral moods and cabaret vocals drenched in strings and lush horns expand in fluid song structures and the tag of pop music begins to feel a little ill-fitting. It's difficult not to hear Antony Hegarty echoed in McDermott's voice, though he certainly captures the emotive strength to carry it off, the musical backing dense enough to sustain power. The Irrepressibles' music entwines fittingly with the film, wrapping the images in a veneer of darkness and mystery, but alone, it feels under-developed. At only 20 minutes long, with seven tracks, the album could realise much greater heights with a little more expansion and progression. [Jamie Scott]