The Hedge Schools - Never Leave Anywhere

The Hedge Schools debut album was released in 2008.  It opens with Day One, all plaintively picked guitars and piano touches, allowing Pat Barrett's voice to soar over it.  The track brings you into a world, along the lines of The Blue Nile, as the music soars around you.  This is considered, sensitive music, tracks like Breathe It In and Butterfly are beautifully moody, the latter a perfect evocation of sitting, staring out the window watching the world go by.

Sunday Song represents a change in gear, preventing the album becoming too samey, with prominent drums and a wash of keyboards.  However the default setting of pensive returns with Don't Call It A Heart.  A gorgeous guitar and piano provides the backdrop for Barrett to implore the listener to "put your day in rewind", and later, on In The Morning he sings romantically about "if we spend the day just drifting... cos this is what I like." 

But if that suggests the album is over-serious and a bit of a trudge that would be wide of the mark, Kansas even allows a bit of whimsy in.  There are no weak tracks on this album, and the pacing works really well, it's an album to just sink into and wallow in.  An immersive, and impressive debut album.