After several super-good singles and EPs, the UK indie/folk band Left With Pictures is finally ready to release their debut album “Beyond Our Means” on October 26. I have waited and waited for this to happen…

I often need some time to “get used to” albums from bands I already own a lot of singles from, – there are a lot of expectations, and the songs I’ve already heard need to be put into a new context. It takes time.  “Beyond our means” took some time, but it has grown from good to GREAT, so I am very happy that I was prepared to give it the time it needed. It’s a lovely debut from a lovely band, – a band who is not afraid to combine good melodies and pop-feeling with complex song-structures and interesting elements.

The songs are good, from start to finish, and the unique, warm lead vocals and the harmony-filled backing vocals are good reasons to love this band and to buy the album. The album opens with the irresistibly catchy singles “Every stitch, every line” and “1,2,3…Go!”, – a very strong start of the album. The songs of LWP-songwriter Stuart Barter are sometimes of Beatle-esque quality. Rich and strong melodies, lyrics with stories that make you think, and their arrangements are at the same time very complex and easily accessible.

For me, it’s the non-single tracks that have become my favourites. “Ghost of ’89″, “The Subjects”, “The flight paths”, the short “Running Round” and especially the amazing “Stuck outside”. Lovely, lovely, lovely!

“Beyond Our Means” is released on Organ Grinder Records on October 26.

Here’s a song they did on Bandstand Busking, “Professional Help”:

…and here’s the song they participated with on our own compilation “A Good Crop”:

MP3: Left With Pictures – Super-8

(None of these two songs are on their debut album)