Stornoway: Letters From Lewis

The lead track from Stornoway’s second EP is my favourite song by anyone currently. ‘Zorbing’ finds the band hopeful of finding love, and finding it to a gentle rockabilly folk twang. Brian’s voice is of choirboy quality on this song and juxtaposes wonderfully with the deepest of deep backing vocals. ‘Watching Birds’ has a skiffle beat and psychedelic swooshes before breaking in a chorus that sounds like the Byrds gone psychotic. ‘The End Of The Movie’ manages to be maudlin yet still upbeat, with beautiful swells of strings, while the brief ‘The Old Blind Man’ strolls along at a gentle saunter while whizzing noises pass overhead. Stornoway are probably Oxford’s best-kept secret. I have a feeling they won’t be for much longer.