Oh, how we love Inventive Pop and British Birds are masters at it. Their second album, Silence Daedelus, was in our Best Albums Of 2025 (review here) and the joy continues here. Now on Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey's excellent Skep Wax label, the future is indeed bright.
As mentioned in that previous Review, the band are from Chorley, a town near to where I was born and still live near to. Towns that were once salt of the earth, but now seem to have turned ultra Right Wing with people banging on about the previous unmentionable.
The mix of brother and sister, Bobby And Emma Townson on vocals works beautifully and the Rhythm section of Dominic Lawson and James Robinson allow the angular songs to excel. Lyrically adept, there is no other band around quite like them.
Not necessarily influences, but you hear the likes of earlier XTC, Talking Heads, Franz Ferdinand and The Lovely Eggs spring to mind. Emma's vocal at times sounds a little St Etienne, but always has big sprinkles of 60s Girl Group Pop.
The songs are amazing, each one an amazing adventure in itself. Listen to the title track and prepare to be mesmerised, a mix of Lounge and heavy heavy. Throughout the album, you sense the band keep raiding the instrument cupboard, the arrangements are unique and hypnotic.
I'm not a fan generally of Talking vocals, but Emma's vocal on Blame Game is amazing, attached to a jaw dropping instrumental arrangement and Bobby's vocal interventions and wondrous Angular Guitar work. I have purposely not taken to mentioning individual songs.
That is simply because this is an album to be listened to from start to finish. But only a band of such extreme ability, could provide so much left field joy and then close with a song like Two Dead Bees which is wonderful Brit Pop.
Murmurate, Oscillate is a gobsmacking listen. Backed up with a big Tour next year and a growing Live reputation, the future is bright. This has Album Of The Year potential and is an album that few could come up with. Absolutely Top Notch!
You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl, CD and as a download.
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