The Young Knives - Voices Of Animals And Men

British pop has always been a little awkward; Take That never had the slick dance moves of New Kids On The Block, The Spice Girls weren’t quite at one with their vocal harmonies a la Destiny’s Child, and so it’s only natural our stars shining brightest in 2006 should be three bespectacled Geography teacher lookalikes from the East Midlands.

The Young Knives’ reputation for sarcastic, witty lyrics and instantly hummable melodies might not yet precede them, but ‘Voices Of Animals And Men’, the trio’s debut long player, could easily change all that. From the shoutalong teenage anthem ‘She’s Attracted To’ to the wry commentary of ‘Loughborough Suicide’, this is an exhiliarating ride through the slightly bored side of provincial England.

‘Loughborough Suicide’ details wonderfully the internal struggle over whether to join in the rat-race or not, while‘Tremblings Of Trails’ deals with the decision to walk away. Moreover, with ‘Tailors’ an ode to suitmakers, ‘Voices…’ could well be the petulant offspring of Blur’s ‘The Great Escape’.

Slower tracks come in the form of the delicately balanced ‘Another Hollow Line’, and the spooky ‘In The Pink’, but otherwise it’s frenetic, angular, and frustrated guitar pop - exemplified with the pressurised dual-vocals of ‘Dialling Darling’ and opener ‘Part Timer’’s wonderfully nonsensical existence.

In short, ‘Voices Of Animals And Men’ could easily be the most impressive album of this year - debut or otherwise.