Langhorne Slim (the person) was born Sean Scolnick, he’s joinned in Langhorne Slim (the band) by Paul Defiglia, Malachi DeLorenzo and they’re based in Brooklyn, New York. I mention this because listening to the music it’d be easy to assume they live in some kind of mountainous backwater. They’re not a band to be pigeon holed or fit into and kind of scene, i guess they’re a like a less obtuse Neutral Milk Hotel.

Opening track Spinning Compass starts the album in a poppy almost Violent Femmes type way with cello, harp and accordian all finding their way into the 1 minute 54 seconds. Rebel Side Of Heaven has a tuba (at least I think it’s a tuba, bass sax? Who cares, it goes umm pah a bit and sounds ace). I don’t think I need to say a lot more than that.

It probably comes under the umbrella of ‘americana’ but only in the way that Okkervil River and Two Gallants are. There are certainly folky moments, sometimes veering into Bright Eyes territory and the odd country ballad but really, over the 13 tracks here Langhorne Slim touch upon a whole load of genres and a lot of reference points but they always sound brilliantly original. It isn’t po faced nu folk or a band taking themselves too seriously either, Hello Sunshine wouldn’t be entirely out of place on a Super Furry Animals record. It’s dance around your bedroom music, putting on before you go to the pub music, wake you up on the way to work music. It’s only the end of May but this is my album of the year so far (edging out Los Campesinos! and Tokyo Police Club fact fans).

It’s in Diverse now. Buy it.