A loose affiliate of those alt. folk geniuses The Fence Collective, LITTLE PEBBLE is another Scot (30 year-old Alan Oates) who is approaching the music industry with a slight air of indifference, while quietly self-producing his way to musical credibility.
Released early this year, this eponymously titled collection is just another glimpse into what can be achieved without the pressures and resources of a label that, and let's be frank here, has as its first interest, the concept of profit.
Album opener 'April Nectarine' is a thoughtful, jangly country-pop pleasure that puts me in mind of Oates' long forgotten countrymen, The Lost Soul Band, while the plaintive acoustic bareness of 'Good Things', 'Old News' and 'Raison D'etre' contain faint evocative whisperings of Neil Young and Alex Chilton.
In most of the songs, employing the services of Kate Dune for backing vocals proves to be a masterstroke. Her understated, but nonetheless essential, contribution helps to give the songs another dimension, her ethereal backing melting naturally with Oates' own broad plaintive tones.
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There's more to his game than just the basic singer-songwriter, though. The atmospheric 'Instrumental 1' (it does exactly as it says on the tin), which closes the album, shows enough potential to lead us to believe there could be more sublime soundscapes to come in the future.
Lyrically astute, Little Pebble conjurs up his evocative images with ease, while his playing is clear and precise. OK, maybe not his drumming. I think the term I'm looking for here is; rudimentary, but effective. But come on, nobody's that perfect, eh?
Delightful, refreshing and atmospheric, and, to be honest, you can add any other reflective adjective you can think of. Basically, this is just a bloody good album.
www.littlepebble.co.uk
www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.asp?epk_id=19397
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