Was I the Wave? Republic of Music****

A few years ago it seemed that Graham Van Pelt had retired Miracle Fortress, but upon hearing tiny hearts shattering all over bedroom floors, he felt "like waking up from the long dream". This record (after 2005's EP Watery Graveand 2007's magical Five Roses)is the musical equivalent of falling deeply in love. From the instrumental Awe, which melts like electronic treacle (as do glowing instrumentals Before, Waveand Until), to the bossa nova-infused Tracersand the eerie beauty of Raw Spectacle, Was I the Wave? distils a woozy, elegant romanticism. The rich texturing of guitars, keyboards, warm melodies and lovely vocal creates an atmosphere where emotion is king and possibilities are endless. On Spectre, Van Pelt tells us to "stop and wonder, how you got so buried under". Through his own acute, philosophical sense of life, he's created one of the records of the year. See miraclefortress.com

Download tracks: Spectre, Raw Spectacle, Miscalculations