John Twells returns to his instrument-based roots for an album that oozes warmth and fragility. These are, first and foremost, love songs in the most modern sense of the word, the futuristic means of execution never compromising the purified strum of the guitar that lies at the heart of each piece, even the voice (that rarest of instruments in this scene) making an appearance to stoke the fire. Away from the TV adverts, short films, and documentary soundtracks that are the unquestioned domain of new music these days, "Tangled Wool" is an album that transcends fad or fashion. An enduring collection of songs for late nights and reflective moments that has been constructed with the kind of feel for mood and composition that has rarely been displayed with such maverick skill. If you fell in love with the larger than life euphoria of Ulrich Schnauss, with "Tangled Wool" you have just discovered its more reflective, doe-eyed sibling. Lovely.
