Our Troubles End Tonight

In 2003, large swathes of the 90s clubbing generation were picking up acoustic guitars in the name of nu-folk, weird folk and folktronica. And that included this Edinburgh / Brighton duo, who were very much beloved of a small group of Balearic-leaning folk around Damian Harris and Nroman “Fatboy Slim” Cook’s Skint label — though they somehow didn’t make huge waves at the time. Perhaps they just weren’t weird enough for the boho folksters, and too overtly retro for electronic heads - but it’s certainly not down to a lack of quality. Their country rock groove hit an unashamedly classic vein of Van Morrison, The Band, Love, David Crosby and so on, but what really hits home now is not the reference points but the unforgettable hooks, and the gorgeous, tactile production on their heartfelt songs of love, travel and cosmic dreams, especially as the piano and strings swell around them.