It's never one of those "ooh! moments is it? Charlotte Hatherley releasing new material is as expected as seeing new tour dates from The Bluetones. In her early solo recording days, she stuck to play-it-safe indie singer-songwriting that neither moved nor inspired. However, new single 'Alexander' is something a mini-epic that Nina from The Cardigans might have been keen to get her hands on.
This is well constructed acoustic pop that builds from the traditional folk balladeering into a quite effervescent indie show stopper. Whilst never being amazing, it's more than you'd expect, and sometimes that's enough. Songs named after boys are generally as tedious as songs named after girls, but this lament to a mysterious man is engaging at times and catchy after the first listen. The BLACKnRED remix of the title track might make this accessible for the indie dancefloors, and suggests the song works just as well without guitats. It's not made my year, but it's better than anticipated.
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