The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour

Despite having listened to this song many times now, it's still hard to be sure it actually exists, for it leaves virtually no impression. The CD player is definitely spinning yet exactly four minutes later it's still hard to understand why. Looking at these notes, I can confirm it's an upbeat portion of left-field indie music, thick with vocals and inoffensively twee. The central acoustic guitar line blandly shifts to and fro, occasionally infused with harmonica and certainly nothing too bad happens. Indeed Myriad Harbour isn't awful but neither is it endearing. Barely an emotion stirs. It's more Frank Beige than Black. [Chris Cusack]