Considering Bowerbirds' follow-up to their acclaimed debut Hymns for a Dark Horse, I have had the same kind of issue that I've had for two of 2008's critical favourites, Bon Iver's For Emma, Sometime Ago and Fleet Foxes' eponymous debut: It's all very pleasant, but does it really grab me?

Upper Air appears to be as well received as the debut; sadly I've played it again and again and can't help but think that it's just a pleasant album. It kind of ticks the boxes, with lovely harmonies and gorgeous acoustic instruments complemented by a kitchen-sink collective of instrumentation. Just a pleasant album....

I did wonder if there was something else going on with this record, so strangely I've played it again and again...and think on the umpteenth listen what I thought the first time I heard this. If you like the usual suspects - Nick Drake, Crosby Stills & Nash, Richard & Linda Thompson, or more recent suspects like Ryan Adams, Bon Iver, Brightblack Morning Light, or Fleet Foxes...you'll probably like this.

Sadly, comparison to Devendra Banhart doesn't hold for me - this is streets away from that acclaimed chap and far too tuneful, far too nice to be mistaken for odder psych-folk sorts like Akron/Family, James Blackshaw, Fire on Fire, Vetiver or Wooden Wand. Post Banhart's compilation Golden Apples of the Sun (the Nuggets of the zeroes) there seem to be so many working in these climes which are fairly folk, frequently psych, and sometimes a little bit alt-country. I guess the weirder and wilder approaches seem more interesting than those like these just offering up a fine collection of pleasant singer-songwriter tunes?

There are some great moments - the part of 'Silver Clouds' where the drums come in has a similar effect to Fleet Foxes' best moment, 'Your Protector', and then there's the sublime part where 'Ghost Life' drops the acoustic guitar shuffle and offers up more of a drone effect and harmony singing about "ocean blood..." I think the album needs more moments like this - though perhaps Upper Air is too subtle and sophisticated for me, as I do tend to favour the broader stroke these days.

So...if you loved the Bon Iver LP, or dig those Fleet Foxes - or have heard records by peers including Phosphorescent or John Vanderslice, this record is for you. I am thinking that acts who sound a bit folk are almost as irritating as those who invoke Krautrock. I guess it comes to something that a perfectly fine collection of well-crafted and played songs doesn't do much for me, or I find it hard to see the point; and is it me, or does the singer's voice grate somewhat?