Folk-rock
Ben Marwood has played support slots with all the right people (Jonah Matranga, Frank Turner, Chris T-T et al) he has a pleasant very British vocal and solid lyrics. He plays the kind of folk-rock with a lo-fi feel that requires nothing more than an acoustic guitar and a decent voice and usually means you have to travel and play gigs alone for the most part.
Relying on the lyrical content can be dangerous if you don't have the smarts to pull it off; Marwood seems to manage just fine on "Outside There's A Curse". The album has plenty of edge, created through songs containing little stories and because his tracks manage to pack an emotional punch. Tunes like 'Toil' whilst being very minimal have a decent melody, effective acoustic guitar work and Marwood's sweet and rich vocal delivery, occasionally there are additional instruments to add variety, 'They Will Float Your Body Out To Sea' has a quiet drum beat in the background and little twinkles and the catchy, more upbeat 'JJ Abrams' breaks into a welcome burst of piano and guitar half way through. A cover of 'The District Sleeps Tonight' (Postal Service) finishes the record, this track has become something of a phenomenon amongst buskers lately but he has a decent crack at it here.
Generally the record is just guitar and voice; Marwood's lyrics are very of the moment with lots of name checking, cultural references and the odd tune about heartbreak and often make you nod and smile knowingly as they strike a chord with you. He pours as much emotion into his voice as he can and it's very effective, making the album worth a look. "Outside There's A Curse" slots very easily into the folk-rock cannon, and if you like down to earth, honest songs simply played it should be right up your street.