and tenor sax. Rest assured: Guitar, bass and drums are still used – they're just harder to find. Initially, the music comes across as a blend of lost late-'60s classics like Love's Forever Changes and the Zombies' Odyssey and Oracle (Matthews' laid-back vocal delivery owes more than a nod to the Zombies' Colin Blunstone). I say "initially" because repeated listens to It's Heavy in Here open up the comparisons to Robert Kirby's beautiful orchestration of English folk hero Nick Drake's work and even John Cale's haunting arrangements of Nico's solo material.

Yet, It's Heavy in Here remains singular in the current alternative-rock sweepstakes. Although the tendency is to call this music "pop" – and there are moments, especially in "Fanfare," "Poisons Will Pass Me" and "Sincere Sensation," during which that classic '60s Top 40 AM radio appeal is exuded – most of the musical references are much more obscure. Vocals are mixed low, the arrangements are often murky, and the material tends to be moodily low-key. Even after repeated plays, little more than a song's atmosphere stays with you. Matthews' mood music, however, is a welcome respite from the ongoing grunge-by-numbers that is being pumped out as so much product these days. It's Heavy in Here doesn't sound like anyone else's record. How many other albums can you say that about? (RS 719)

ROB O'CONNOR