TO carry off a virtually constant slow set requires some style and more talent. These are qualities Tarnation have in abundance. With two crystal clear Gibson guitars and Paula Frazer's echo laden voice they combine the maudlin pallor of The Cowboy Junkies with the discordant sorcery of Tindersticks to create something truly eerie.

Theirs is a particularly American type of gravitas: the twang of guitar a la Twin Peaks; a Morricone spaghetti western interlude; a predisposition to cowboy boots and the brazen sound of plaintive Old Country. They mix the soothing with the turbulent masterfully and each note is polished and delivered with a sensitivity which leaves Tarnation smelling of roses.