Album of the week:

The Phantom Band- "Checkmate Savage."

Checkmate Savage saw the light of day in the UK last November but has only recently secured a local release. The Glaswegian six piece have managed to concoct the most beguiling debut I've heard in a long time. I've been listening to it for a few weeks now and, as the play-count on my ipod testifies, I've given it quite a work out. Sinuous, ringing guitar lines, forceful, sometimes almost tribal, percussion and ominous, vaguely threatening lyrics (sample: "Something nameless/A creeping unrest...") make for an atmospheric and consistently entertaining listen. The music takes in elements of pop, prog, folk, funk and even techno. Obvious highlights among it's nine tracks include Burial Sounds (the source of the quoted lyric) and the singles, The Howling and Folksong Oblivion. The only slightly pedestrian moment comes with track four, the instrumental Crocodile- although it does provide breathing space at that point in proceedings. Hell, even the sleeve art is a trip. Highly recommended.