Erland & The Carnival was formed around the British guitarist and singer Erland Cooper. With guitarist Simon Thong (The Verve, Blur, The Good, The Bad And The Queen) and drummer David Knock (The Orb, The Cult) in the ranks, it is a modest supergroup. The members share a love for British folk and poetry, which was already reflected in the 2010 untitled debut. Less than a year later, this successor
… appears on which the group has moved on to a much broader sound. Nightingale is full of slightly psychedelic British pop with many buzzing sixties organs and catchy choruses with folky harmony vocals. Sometimes this is reminiscent of the sixties space pop of Joe Meek, but also of the drizzly British chamber pop from Thong's former group The Good, The Bad And The Queen. The vocals of Cooper sometimes sound a bit too flat to stay upright in the many layers of songs, but musically there is still enough to enjoy about this well-groomed and very British product. (MR)more
