Tales of yore from inner city squatter.
The first thing that strikes you upon listening to the whole of The First EP is just how odd it is. Not disquieting or sinister but simply with a magical, just-watched-Bagpuss feeling. There is a lot happening all at once on this EP but you are never left feeling lost at sea and Kid Harpoon never loses the thread of what story he is telling. Ramshackle it may be, but it's also precisely organised.
"Milkmaid" sets off in a pretty standard, acoustic driven singer-songwriter way which does not offer much insight into the rest of the EP. Because it is so ordinary – by-numbers even – it leads the listener into having a predetermined idea of where "The First EP" is heading. It's from "Fifty Seven" right up till "The Water (Demo)" that the magical of "The First EP" happens. By using a variety of seldom-heard instrumentation and kooky production, Kid Harpoon takes you to an otherworldly place where songs become shanties and girls become maidens.
And it's a good place to be. "The First EP" may owe a doff of the cap to Mike Scott and The Waterboys, but it is individual and strange enough to be remembered and enjoyed for some time into the future. At the end of the EP one feels that they have been taken on a journey and been told a story that has entertained. And with that in mind, "The First EP" gets a healthy recommendation to any fans of songwriting or magic out there