"An unassuming thing of minor beauty" says The Wire of Twice Born Men, the remarkably inventive sophomore album from acclaimed Brit "folk-tronic" trio Sweet Billy Martin. Steeped in quiet drama and bathed in long, dark shadows of mood and melancholy, the music of SBM has been compared to Radiohead, The Blue Nile, Elbow, Damian Rice and even Coldplay in that peculiar, distinctively British genre of serious-minded, intelligent and challenging art/pop.

Sometimes you just can't argue with a good bio: "Tinkering about somewhere between the earthy and the ethereal, Sweet Billy Pilgrim scrape strings and tap away at laptops trying to make beautiful things with steady hands and empty pockets. After the TV flickers out and the credit cards have been declined, and we’re returned to hearts and heads, Tim, Alistair and Anthony would love to be called in as the happy architects of small corners in both. It’s all about the hairs on the back of the neck, they say."

Tim Elsenberg's voice, a mix of quivering tenderness and subtle, graceful passion, is at the heart of many of Twice Born Men's many wonderous achievements. A piano chord here, pulsing electronic beats there, a harmonied chorus, a guitar or harp plucked, lush orchestration - all build in a determined methodical manner, rising to perfect crescendos and then falling slowly away. This is 3am music with impressive power, depth and lasting quality. Highly recommended.

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