Crown and TreatyLuxor Purchase/EMI ****

You know Sweet Billy Pilgrim, don’t you? You recall that they were nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2009 for their second album, Twice Born Men? No? Well, join the club: here’s a British band (their name is taken from the protogatonist in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse- Five) that few people are aware of. Their fortunes could change with Crown and Treaty; this is a stone-cold cracker of a record that has depth, layers and rugged charm. Opening track Joyful Reunion sets the tone: here be crescendos, choirs, choruses and choons that

bands with a far higher profile would envy. Brugada, another excellent track, harks back sonically to those heady days when we all thought Radiohead were the future of rock music. Clever, clear-headed and waiting for your patronage. sweetbillypilgrim.com

Download tracks: Brugada, Joyful Reunion, Blood Is Big Expense