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In its own right ‘I Am Kloot’ was a fine little album of world-weary crooning and jazz tinged lament, but it failed to deliver on the promise of ‘Natural History’, an album so packed full of beauty, feeling and wisdom and so unassuming in its approach that four years on it still surprises on every listen. Where the debut captured perfectly the fatigued reflection on dead and dying love with songs like ‘Twist’, the follow-up simply sounded fatigued and rather bored. So it’s pleasing to report that ‘Gods and Monsters’ has a renewed energy and takes the best elements of each of the first two records, fusing folksy meanderings and jazz elements, tying the whole thing together with the lyrical genius Kloot have come to be known for. Like the early works of Dylan, they pepper their music with tales of bizarre characters, setting the tonal scene with oblique personal references and then bringing in the occasional pearl of wisdom to be understood and treasured by all. It’s a rich tapestry, and one that’s unlikely to be bettered by anything released this year. The words convey the record’s theme perfectly. Its about existential questions; specifically the origins of love, be they mysterious, chemical or simply born from self-deluding romanticism, illustrated within the context of what is presumably a troubled relationship involving singer John Bramwell. The Floyd-ish title track begins this journey, juxtaposing the sharp empiricism of modern life with our mythological roots and questioning the existence of the titular beings against the sinister backdrop of a vintage Wurlitzer organ and staccato four-note piano stabs. ‘Coincidence’ uses the perceived injustice of romance as an argument for a random world with Bramwell explaining that ‘time/ has gathered us here by coincidence/ that’s why what I say doesn’t make any sense.’ It’s bittersweet, defiant and yet conflicted, the sound of a man who’s trying to convince himself as much as he is anyone else. Album closer ‘I Believe’ borrows a wonderfully optimistic chord change from Ennio Morricone’s ‘L’Arena’ (recently used in the coffin-escape scene in ‘Kill Bill’) suggesting that, despite any evidence to the contrary, Bramwell has maintained his faith and found his salvation by breaking free from the confines of rationality. ‘Gods and Monsters’ represents a partial return to form for Kloot; and while it doesn’t often reach the high-water mark set by ‘Natural History’ its still an intelligent, witty, confident and massively engaging collection of songs.
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