Gareth Thomas Fizzy Milk (Self-released)

★★★★ Former Goodshirt keyboardist Gareth Thomas (who also sang on the delightful Sophie) intended these tracks for his regular gig but, according to the liner notes, had a fit of the Badly Drawn Boys, and recorded the lot in his bedroom, playing most of the instruments himself too. There’s an applaudable element of experimentation here and an argument could be mounted for a smoother track listing which doesn’t change styles so rapidly. The best bits are the tunes where Thomas layers sounds upon each other in a style that hints at the Phoenix Foundation and yes, Badly Drawn Boy’s early stuff, and in particularly, the opener All Eyes

in the Room is instantly catchy. Rewarding listening.