Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

The latest venture from experimental rockers Band_C sees the Manchester outfit in fine form and as keen as ever to push their own musical boundaries. Backed by an uber-talented array of musicians, Andrew Slack and Mrs Chris Eaton, Abby Scott, share vocal duties throughout and kick off with the full-on funk of the album's almost title track "Killing Time In A Cardboard Box" before conveying all the leftfield pop sensibilities of Belle and Sebastian and Badly Drawn Boy in the upbeat "Is This Love". In an album that constantly surprises, the band shapeshift through a variety of styles from the radio-friendly pop of "Love Story" to the ambient closing track "Call Me Home" via the ska-tinged "Bright Eyes" - the latter featuring some great trumpet from in house horn man Pith. Elsewhere, quirky interludes and reprises such as the mock French of "Je Danse" and "La Historia De Amor, Parte 2" add even more character to an already vibrant album and, together with the rest of the material on offer here, highlight Slack's individualistic production values . Whilst it would be easy to write Band_C off as light-hearted or eccentric, songs such as "Building Houses Out Of Sticks" and "Four Castle Walls" see them hint towards their faith in God whilst the unmistakeable challenge of "What Does He Mean To You?" symbolises a delightfully unpredictable and expertly executed album of both light and shade from one of the UK music scene's best kept secrets.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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