Ember are a Welsh based duo, Emily Williams hailing from South Wales and Rebecca Sullivan bringing in American folk influences form her native Utah. Their trademark complex harmonies and multi-instrumental talents of Emily and Rebecca are complimented by guest Emma Bryden’s cello to give a rounded sound.

Although billed as humorous eccentrics, on the whole this album shows a more serious, bluesy side to the artists. If there’s a theme to the album it’s one of destructive love –“I love you like an enemy, Loving you defensively” run lyrics from the first track, “The Ocean”. Longing for the attention of a disdainful one is explored in “Train of Distain”, an American folk style train song with vocal harmonies reminiscent of While and Matthews. The end of relationships is lamented in the somewhat pessimistic “Everything Must End” – maybe a reference to the Manic Street Preachers’ track “Everything Must Go”? I loved the Gypsy-style violin and the jazzy vocal harmonies in “Abundance Blues”, also the penny whistle in “Mystery”, a song about an unobtainable loved one. If you’re after eccentricity, have a listen to “Chandeliers”, an unfortunate shopper is palmed off with a mouse fur coat, amongst other things, but ends up quite happy with her lot. Listen out for the Secret Track, who says nobody ever puts one on their albums anymore? It’s very short and it’s about a 2 headed lady called Marge!

My absolute favourite track from this album, though, has to be the rendition of what’s possibly Wales’s most famous folk song “Sospan Fach”. One to sing along to when I see them on a festival stage somewhere soon!