Soothing Shoegazing
If you're trying to remember where you've heard young Ainslie Henderson's name before, it's best to remove the veil from your eyes at an early stage and admit that he was one of the lucky rejects from BBC's Fame Academy. Lucky because unlike the forgotten winner, he is now producing soulful, dreamy acoustic indie laced with honest intimacy. Familiarity is however the buzzword on this album as each song seems like a personal ode written for solely for your ears and Ainslie's vocals become a close ally.
'I Need Reminded' is the kind of gorgeous tune that wraps you in its warmth and closeness and lets you daydream undisturbed while the rest of the world rushes on, while opener, 'Dust' is a splendid example of why singer-songwriter's aren't always boring. A shimmering guitar line flutters beneath Ainslie's passionate vocals, spelling out exactly how this album will progress.
'Daytrips' showcases the strength of Ainslie's vocals as they lilt above simple, rich piano chords. Enigmatic, 'Finding A Lighthouse' is a definite high point with its anguished guitar notes and lyrical imagery, "Our love is a falling mirror", eventually concluding, "but were we a beautiful smash on the kitchen floor?"
It's the perfect album for a lazy Sunday morning, as the nurturing lyrics of 'Go Back To Sleep' endorse, "Go back to sleep/Calm down/Don't Move/It's just a bad dream", while electric guitars may stir strife into the tune Ainslie's tender vocals are a soothing companion. 'Body To Bed' carries its own blissful weariness spilling out from a sweet repetitive pattern of simple acoustic riffs. 'Man Made's delicious lyrics, "You are a beautiful implosion" embodies every impossible romance of film and book, while the guitars harness a steely bitterness.
'Growing Flowers By Candlelight' is a charming collective of reflective and deeply personal songs that draw you into their world of easy flowing emotional warmth. Although the songs are wistful and delightful, it's hard to recall individual numbers and as such the album works more as an atmospheric backing, but there are also clearly some star tracks that deserve a listen on their own.