The notes of "Black And White Films" have been drifting across my stereo like the feathered achenes from a swaying dandelion clock this last week or three. They are delicate, gentle and a little uncertain. But somewhere down the wind there will be, before the Summer is gone, golden flowers to cheer up the dullest suburban garden.
Indeed, the whole Rosie Taylor Project thing has been a rather fragile affair. The earlier demos and performances had such a tentative and untutored sound that I could have sworn they had learned to play their instruments in a couple of days for a Scratch Orchestra gig. The single, to my great relief, is in tune.
It is also very very charming. Jonny Davies plays a very simple, slightly halting acoustic guitar strum and he sings while Sophie Barnes sings too and offers a nice round phrase or two on trumpet. A bass (Nick Wilshire) and a small additional guitar part (Sam Cottis) flicker in and out. Tempo picks up a little and it nearly frolics. (very gently). It would qualify as supertwee if such a category existed and would conquer the hearts of all those who find Belle and Sebastian a bit too brash. They would not upstage The Bobby McGees either. And while they have appeared on Mark Riley's radio programme, Huw Stephens would be their spiritual home for the time being.
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B side "Maps For Lost Lovers" has a similar horticultural lightness to the main tune (did I mention the nice video?), but with a rather single-minded guitar line that worms into the ear in a rather insistent way. There is a magic here that the reviewer's art can’t quite conjure, and which the harsh cynic might damn as contrived. Tuneful might be exaggerating a bit, but there are pleasant melodic phrases in both tracks.
Bad Sneakers Records, whose judgement has proved rock solid this year, might well have another little gem in their rather good collection.
www.myspace.com/therosietaylorproject
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