Blair Jollands (El Hula), a white-suited New Zealander, has conjured up an epic and elegant debut, surprisingly produced by Strokes man Gordon Raphael. Jollands' voice jets through shades of Scott Walker and Ziggy, and he only lets himself down with lapses into Cave-ian grunge. Most of this, like the arch-Associates swoon of "Bitter Girl", is exceptional, big soul stuff. This year's Rufus Wainwright, at least.
Rating: 4 / 10
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I would have bought the issue of Melody Maker in which I first read about Bruce Springsteen on my way into the art school in Newport, where in March 1973 I was in my last term, only a few months away from moving to London and not long after that fetching up on MM as a junior reporter/feature...
