I am Kloot - Sky at Night
Following 2007's I Am Kloot Play Moolah Rouge, the album further goes to cement John Bramwell's status as one of the most talented songwriters in the country. Proud Manchester men they may be, but the record is infused with an almost Parisian elegance. Tracks like "It's Just The Night" and "The Moon Is A Blind Eye" reveal a Gainsbourg style of sophistication, but are still punctuated with their own inimitable Northern soul.
Opening with the warm, rolling "Northern Skies", it's followed by "To The Brink", a decadently faded show tune, with celestial strings balancing delicately against the kind of poignant musings more typically found at the bottom of a brandy glass. The theatrical instrumentation of "Lately" is lush and impressive, whilst remaining explicit and honest. Renowned harpist Marie Lionheardt provides a delicate accompaniment to the moving narrative in "I Still Do", while "Radiation" touches upon the Beatles' more psychedelic moments of orchestration.
A songwriter's songwriter, Bramwell is one of our finest wordsmiths and counts Pete Doherty and and Elbow's Guy Garvey amongst his many fans. Having produced their hugely acclaimed debut album "Natural History" Garvey, alongside bandmate Craig Potter, has returned to produce and mix this sublime ten track collection. With Sky at Night, expect Kloot's cult status to soar skywards.
Our Verdict : 4/5
I am Kloot
I am Kloot
The band released their debut album, Natural History, in the UK in March 2001 on the Wall of Sound offshoot 'We Love You', followed by the I Am Kloot album in September 2003, on the Echo imprint. Echo had originally planned to release "Proof" as a single to promote the second album, but after agreeing on artwork and a track listing (and commissioning a video featuring Christopher Eccleston, directed by Krishna Stott), the label shelved these ideas and subsequently issued the single as a download only (though a few copies were issued in Europe on the PIAS imprint). This action is commonly seen as the start of the dispute that would subsequently see the band leave the label. The band remained with Echo for their third LP, Gods and Monsters (2005), but left the label citing a lack of financial support after another planned single, "I Believe", was cancelled at short notice. Later that year they issued a limited edition single entitled "Maybe I Should" on November 21st, following some of their biggest headlining gigs in the UK, culminating in a show at the London Astoria. In April 2006 "Only Role in Town", was made available for free download to their fanbase, followed by the release of an album of John Peel session tracks in October 2006, recorded over two sessions in 2001 and 2004. I Am Kloot's fourth studio album, I Am Kloot Play Moolah Rouge, was available at gigs in November 2007 as a limited edition of 2000 copies, before going on general release on 14 April 2008. In October 2009, they released a double album compilation of B-sides, rarities and unreleased songs collected under the title of B. I Am Kloot's next studio album, Sky at Night, is released on 5th July 2010 on Shepherd Moon records. The producers of this record are Craig Potter and Guy Garvey from Elbow.