Flaws
On their sophomore album, Bombay Bicycle Club goes acoustic. Where their 2009 debut introduced four young London-based musicians playing energetic post-punk trimmed with effects reminiscent of early-‘90s indie rock, 2010’s *Flaws* does away with electric guitars to reveal a band going through a pretty heavy folk phase. But from the catchy opener “Rinse Me Down,” it all makes perfect sense because Jack Steadman’s voice has a naturally quavering tremolo that would rest well between the vocals of Devendra Banhart and Conor Oberst. They redo “Dust On the Ground” from their first album, this time around giving the tune a melancholic beauty, while the melodic “Ivy & Gold” is a more buoyant ditty that bounces on a brushed snare drum while Steadman sings the same melody as the guitar line. English chanteuse Lucy Rose helps flesh out the title-track with feathery harmonies, adding a gauzy dimension to the album’s jewel. And just so there’s no mistaking that this is indeed a folk album, the band bestows reverent covers of John Martyn’s “Fairytale Lullaby” and Joanna Newsom’s “Swansea.”
The UK band goes from teenage post-punk acolytes to Nick Drake- and John Martyn-loving folkies in one move.
Bombay Bicycle Club have ditched the electric guitars, and – says <strong>Dave Simpson</strong> – much of what made their last album memorable