The same reason this band may not make its mark on the music scene at large is the same reason you might skip on from the preview tracks posted below after a minute or so, and if either were to happen it would be a real shame.

Basically, this is a sound that we are all pretty familiar with. It is an ecological niche in the musical food chain that is very, very well populated and this can make it hard for bands, even ones this good, to be heard above the din (The Black Keys anyone? Please!). Basically, imagine a slightly less polished Kings of Leon, mixed with a bit of Detroit garage punk scruffiness, and you have Leopold & His Fiction. No surprises there then, and I nearly fell foul of this kind of hasty judgment myself.

Daniel sent me a couple of demo versions through and I was really impressed with what I heard, and asked if I could please hear the whole album. For the first couple of listens I was a little disappointed, thinking, I’d heard this kind of thing before. I’m glad I warned Daniel that the review might be a little time in coming, saying that I like to get to know albums a bit before writing about them, because this extra time has helped me really get into this.

It’s an old-fashioned album, bluesy and slightly inebriated. It feels genuine too, and there is a tremendous warmth to the sound which seems to make it more friendly, more accessible and more your own. Like The Hold Steady, they have the knack of feeling very much like you’re on the same side. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all brilliant, but there’s an impressive amount of really good stuff on this album, so don’t rush to judge this because it benefits from a bit of patience, a bit of quality time and a massive slug of decent whiskey.

Unless you’re me, of course. Because I fucking hate whiskey. Sorry, I know that’s probably a hanging offence here in Scotland, but I do.

Leopold & His Fiction – Go On Have My Way
Leopold & His Fiction – Miss Manipulation

website (a couple more downloads here) | myspace | buy it – now, dammit!