Just about the best band you’ve never heard of? Well unless you’re fans of the old Toadcast I would say almost certainly. Night Jar aren’t even a band, really, just two mates who locked themselves in their room for a fortnight and came out with a six-song EP that is, honestly, unbelievably good.

Andy Mackay is a friend of mine, assuming he’s forgiven me for being a drunken twat the night we were introduced, and was originally in an Edinburgh Bluegrass group called the Green Mountain Bluegrass Boys. They had a residency at The Left Banke, now Octopus Diamond, shortly to be defunct once more but The Bluegrass Boys decided to pack it in a while back and Andy teamed up with his pal Jack to record these six songs. Subtler than the Bluegrass Boys, presumably partly due to not having to consider the interests of a drunken late night audience, this is still a Bluegrass CD really, but also a terrific exploration of all of the staples of American folk.

Lynchings, lost loves, cowboys, ne’erdowells and small-town dancefloors are all evoked and the music is very much in the traditional vein. Ultimately though, with such strong songs it never sounds like a rote regurgitation of standard forms, just the latest additions to a classic genre from a geographically surprising place. They have no real inclination to try and make a living out of this to the best of my knowledge, and they may not thank me for sharing this with everyone, but I think it’s fucking brilliant stuff and if there are any label chappies out there willing to persuade them to go for it I think we’d all be very grateful.

“This old thing? Oh yeah, just something me and me mate knocked together last week, back at the flat.” There are professional musicians for miles around who’d sell their first-born for songs this good.

Night Jar – The Hanging Tree
Night Jar – Sweet Annie Lee

Night Jar on MySpace