Nic Nell - Glow / Polar Bear

wastes no time in hitting you with its relevance. There is the potential here for a long player that fully represents the hustle and bustle of British suburbia with a collection of distinct and delicate sounds. Right from the first bar Nic Nell sounds instantly capable of creating something of substance for the every day world we live and breathe, with his use of instruments and sounds encompassing both past romances and futuristic musings. Rather than just sitting as an understated gentle hum-along ‘Glow’ sounds personal, drawing you in impressively. Nell is by no means going to create a new dawn in British music and fits no ready made genre bracket, but his music could well slip into its own niche and invite any other jaunty acts out of the woodwork. The cartel of beeps and tones on ‘Glow’ interchange effortlessly with the rhythm guitar of b-side ‘Polar Bear’, maybe because the vocals sit just as awkwardly and the tune is equally as jumpy as before. This is far from music by numbers, but expect to be intrigued rather than blown away.