Album Review :: The Boy Least Likely To :: The Great Perhaps

The Boy Least Likely To

'The Great Perhaps' (To Young To Die Records)

April 22 2013

7/10

Words: Dave Beech



'Cuddlecore' isn't a exactly a genre you would expect to find whilst at your local music shop but that's exactly what Wendover duo The Boy Least Likely To purport to be. To those with an untrained ear and lacking a sense of irony, the band's sound could quite easily come across as twee-pop, the only difference being...well...there isn't any. The fact of the matter is TBLLT couldn't really be much 'twee-er'. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Coming off sounding something like The Shins meets Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin by way of Beulah is no mean feat and one they manage to pull off without ever sounding too indebted to any of the aforemetioned. Of course, in a genre so full of conventions it's always hard to maintain a certain degree of autonomy, especially one as niche as twee-pop; as a result certain clichés need to be overlooked in order to fairly review a record.

'The Great Perhaps' is the fourth album to be released by TBLLT and sees the band entering their second decade together. The intricate soundscapes woven by multi-instrumentalist Pete Hobbs are as eclectic as they elaborate. From the delicate and emotive string ensemble in 'Michael Collins' down to the optimistic 8bit electronica of album opener 'I Keep Falling In Love With You Again' each track forges it's own path without the record ever coming across as erratic.

Track six, 'Climbing Out of Love' is a particular highlight of 'The Great Perhaps' and an effortless fizzes and dances like a drunk R2D2 behind singer Jof Owens richly coloured lyricism, a simple guitar accompanies the synth in a song that's somewhat evocative of Bishop Allen. 'Lucky to Be Alive' on the other hand could almost be a Death Cab Cutie Song. A dual vocal on this track sets it apart from the rest of the album, if only subtly while the chorus sees Owen doing his best James Mercer impression and he gets away with it. Just

'The Great Perhaps' is a album that upon first listen, is as enigmatic as it's name suggests. Through multiple listens, the album begins to unravel itself, spilling with it all it's nuanced beauty and splendour. TBLLT are obviously a band whose wide rage of influences to every record they make, and while sometimes they might come across as particularly indicative of a certain band, there's an unmistakeable degree of charm to the band, and one that couldn't be anyone else. 'The Great Perhaps' is an album that's energetic and summery whilst at the same time being gently pensive. It takes a few listens to get there but once you do, you'll be glad you did.