In The Air

Their live shows can be a little erratic, leaving some onlookers in doubt as to the "authenticity" of what they are witnessing: is the guitar playing intentionally bad or is it part of an act? But strip away the backwoods, gothic/country, Addams Family persona and you'll find layers of real craft and serious intent underneath the handsome family exterior.

Right from the opening track 'Don't Be Scared', In The Air impresses as an enjoyable, melodic, and well-played album, and while Rennie Sparks may choose to spin some unusual lyrical yarns, well, really, that's all part of their charm.

Recorded on a Mac G3, In The Air features an array of guitars, keyboards, autoharp, fiddle, mandolin and garbage can, laid over waltz time drum machine rhythms to create a textured country tapestry that sounds far more convincingly rootsy than many a so-called alternative outing.

Handsome is as handsome does, you might say.