Ed Harcourt - Lustre (piano wolf)

One of my favorite singer-songwriters returns to the piano with a new batch of songs and sounds. It's been four years since the "The Beautiful Lie" release, and Ed Harcourt is back, and it is well worth the wait. He never seems to let me down with his brand of piano-based songwriting and dreamy soundscapes.

The album opens with the soft piano balled, "Lustre," and moves right into the organ intro on
"Haywire," which is almost identical to the beginning of an older tune, "All your days will be blessed," 
(From Every Sphere) and stays true to the formula with a catchy chorus. "Do as I say not as I do," is by far the greatest track on the album, with its swinging chorus and the breathy female backing vocals, this is Ed Harcourt at his best. I actually prefer his upbeat tracks than the slow lengthy ballads, but it is all here.

I must say, "Heart of a Wolf," could have been deleted from the album. It is a boring, melancholy track, and the dreary backing vocals do nothing but drag the song down even more. It seems like the artist likes to include a track similar to this on all of his albums, it's like an alter ego of his in my own opinion, but it just takes away from the rest of the record.

In conclusion, this is a great listen for the Autumn, to sit back and watch the leaves fall and wait for the Winter.

The Score: 7.5 out 10 bells
The Math: a piano on a hill+an Autumn breeze = Lustre