Be A Familiar – To The Lighthouse

Employing a seven member line-up, with keys and brass included, Glasgow seven-piece Be a Familiar’s aesthetics hint at the multifarious instrumentation of Noah and the Whale, Sufjan Stevens, or closer to home, Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers. However the reality of debut album To The Lighthouse is a rather more one dimensional affair, employing more broad-stroke indie-pop sensibilities instead.

Opener Had Your Fill plays out like a Malcolm Middleton pop-noir pumped full of Prozac and sunshine, whilst All Kinds of Nervous showcases a band unafraid to flirt outrageously with big melodies. There are hints of a more complex collage of sound on the opening moments of Lil, however it’s quickly swept aside by their poppy predilection. With only seven tracks on offer, To The Lighthouse is an easily absorbed album which suffers at times from over-simplicity, however there’s no denying their great cross-over potential, which hints at an assured future. [Paul Neeson]