Phox: Phox

Wisconsin's Phox might be a dark horse, but their debut album overflows with such quality that we'll be surprised if they don't achieve some mainstream success come the end of the year. From the hazy sunshine, almost-improv vocals of lead singer Monica Martin to the whistling on Slow Motion (and is that really a flippin' piccolo I hear?), there's a looseness to the song arrangements that suggests some truly empathetic musicians. Indeed, the septet were once high school friends who, after some years, reconnected again and set up house together, from where they – nonchalantly, it seems – came up with these songs. The result is a natural synthesis of likes and dislikes, a cohesive, calibrated and unpretentious little album that thinks big, but not too bold. phoxband.com Download: Slow Motion, 1936, Laura, Evil yyy Phox perform at the Electric Picnic this weekend