St Thomas – Let’s Grow Together: The Comeback Of St Thomas

Last year’s Hey Harmony cemented Thomas Hansen’s reputation, but the ex-postman and Norwegian Third Division footballer has dismissed it as the work of a man who’d “lost himself somewhere on the road, together with alcohol and marijuana.” On this fourth opus, he’s wrested control from the demons and emerges bolder, though perhaps less darkly alluring. The finest moments remain wondrous, though: “Silence Break Your Heart”‘s spookily ethereal undertow; the strained vocal kink of “Waltzing Around Insane”. Somewhere between Elliott Smith, Mark Kozelek and early Neil Young.