Concubine Rice

Founding (but now ex) member of the Beta Band, the Lone Pigeon hums, strums, whistles, and plinks his way through an astonishing debut album. The opening title track sets the tone, with wobbly electronics and softened squeezebox giving way to a humble lyrical delivery and drifting piano. The production is rough and ready, with many of the tracks culled from less than ideal recording equipment, but this is more a strength than a weakness -- adding a surface tension to the singalong harmonic sections. Sub pop from the Cairngorms.