Kingdom Warners ***

Twin sisters Louise and Ellie Macnamara first surfaced about five years ago calling themselves Leaving Cert – flimsy indie/folk singers, all shyness, wobbles, thumbs, tweeness and talent. Their second album (their debut, Here Not There, was released in 2008) suggests they've been jotting down notes in the more interesting zones of the pop music charts and reading books on how to project personality. The result is a really pleasant surprise, and amounts to quite a turnaround in songwriting and in commercial outlook. Songs such as Circular Road, Underground Beneath, Forget Me Nots (the first single from the album), We Burn Bridges and Flight prove that indie pop/folk needn't necessarily disappear into the thin air of its own whimsicality. What their early championing fans will make of it is anyone's guess (either way, the Macnamaras shouldn't care), but Kingdom is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. heathersmusic.net

Download tracks:Underground Beneath, We Burn Bridges