A Sunny Day in Glasgow: Scribble Mural Comic Journal

Label: Notenuf

A wonderfully odd and offbeat record, the debut from Philadelphia’s A Sunny Day in Glasgow (you didn’t think they were from Glasgow, did you?) throws all the conventions of a pop album out the window, beginning in a wash of synths and sounds, almost passing for ambient drone at times, before launching into a shoegaze-cum-Cocteau-Twins mix of pop, electronica and experimentalism. The album always keeps you guessing; just when you think the band has settled into a certain sound, they switch gears and head into new sonic territory, but always segueing seamlessly and artfully. There are songs of startling beauty here, particularly “5:15 Train” and “No. 6 Karman Street.” Check out Scribble Mural Comic Journal. It’s one of the best debuts of 2007. (James)