This album began life in a front room in Westcliff-On-Sea and ended,no less modestly, in a bedroom in Brighton.
It is the brainchild of the Hanscomb brothers, Mik and Rich who, along with a few willing accomplaces, produce a breed of pastoral post-rock whose homely origins can be explained by their admission that "we still have no idea what we're doing in the studio".
Despite its humble roots, the sound is smooth and lush, taking its cues more from jazzy Tortoise-like noodlings rather than the indie crescendo orientated Mogwai model.
Their stated admiration for the work of Bert Jansch suggests their desire to infuse a folky charm into what might otherwise revert to soulless electronica.
Yet, although the tracks Kamo River and Fidlam Bens feature the banjo, and Held Inside opens with a vocal snippet from a folk ballad, the sound overall can't really be pigeonholed into the folktronica bag with the likes of 'Four Tet'. This is a shame since some of Kieran Hebden's light eclectic touches would give the Junkboy sound a much needed pickmeup.
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As it is , the album glides along seductively enough yet comes across as over-structured and leaves little space for unrestrained expression.
One of the standout tracks in also one of the shortest. Seconds has a very Elliot Smith vocal line and the inclusion of some fuzz guitar in the mix adds a welcome slice of punk dynamics.
More of the same would have given a fresher dimension and offered some more jagged edges to give a contrast with the smooth surface.
As a chill out album it works very well although I suspect Junkboy can aim for higher ground than this.
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