Something I missed in the mad rush last year is Unrequited Lullabies, the debut album from Joss Cope, younger brother of Julian. It got precious little publicity from what I can see, I certainly didn't hear of it and am enjoying the opportunity to catch up with it now, as it's an excellent record
A set of concise, crafted pop songs in the tradition of Barrett, Ayers and Wyatt. Unmistakably the work of a Cope, Joss has that thick, plummy middle class Midlands accent as the Julian of the first two solo albums, and the songs have a similar melodic and lyrical bent as the the ones from those records such as Head Hang Low and Bill Drummond Said.
It's no wonder really that there is debt and influence of big brother here. The two were close, Julian name checked Joss on Reynard the Fox and Joss contributed to other tracks on Fried in terms of playing and songwriting. So really the similarities here merely add to the appeal of the record, as it's clear that Joss has plenty going for him.
Released on the Gare Du Nord record label which is fast becoming a byword for such quintessential and inimitable expressions of Englishness, Unrequited Lullabies is a pearl of an album, perhaps lacking the musical assurance and production values of World Shut Your Mouth and Fried but still a delight to chance upon and meriting repeated listenings.
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