Ordinary Man [Slipcase]

Released on Massive Attack's Melankolic label, you could be forgiven for expecting Day One to produce dark and dubby trip-hop. They are in fact a three-piece that use the traditional instruments of pop alongside electronics to create a melodic lo-fi sound that is not a million miles from Gomez or Badly Drawn Boy. The half-sung, half-spoken vocals are provided by Phelim and are reminiscent of Beck in angst-ridden mode rather than his groove-machine persona. Breakbeat drums satisfyingly shuffle behind tuneful electric and acoustic guitar and Phelim's lyrics, like his voice, remain interesting if not always elegant.
Titles such as "Autumn Rain" and "Paradise Lost" indicate the album's predominantly melancholic themes but the use of flute, strings and infectious percussion provides a counterpoint to their miserabilist lyrics. ORDINARY MAN is not an album of singalong pop nor jump-up dance music but it is the kind of quirky, provocative material that bears repeated listening. Atmospheric and eccentric, it's an album to accompany a late night and a bottle of red.|