John Grant, The Queen of Denmark

One time vocalist with criminally underrated The Czars John Grant had all but given up on the notion of being a musician before he was convinced by Midlake to get back into the studio. Not content with producing one of the albums of this year themselves (The Courage of Others), Midlake offered their services to Grant as his band. The long shot of which is that this collaboration has thrown up yet another candidate for one of the best long players you’ll hear in 2010. Not that there’s anything particularly current about the sound of Queen of Denmark – far from it. This is an album that emulates the smooth sounds of the West Coast circa the early 70′s, and with Midlake being so adept at plundering musical history there’s no better band for such a purpose. Grant’s themes of disappointment, heartbreak, relationships, religious bigotry, and, er…Sigourney Weaver are all subjects that transcend time however. Kicking off with the gentle folk of ‘TC and Honeybear’ Grant deals with heartbreak straight away. Essentially a tale of insecurity, love and loss, it’s a wonderfully warm ballad of epic proportions that throws everything into the mix and never once sounds overbearing. Flutes flitting around like butterflies? Present and correct. Otherworldly mourning backing vocals from something that sounds like an angelic choir? They’re over by the fountain. A massive baritone voice that bursts with emotion over a perfectly executed climax? It’s all right there with Grant’s voice dripping an irresistible warm timbre all over this tale of loss. A perfect opener then, and from here on, Grant and Midlake don’t let up. ‘I Wanna Go To Marz’ is a quirky folk number which is essentially Willy Wonka’s product list coupled with some carefully placed sci-fi imagery. For some reason the mix of the authenticity of folk and the otherworldly imagery inspire a desperate...