British singer-songwriter Mike Rosenberg is an accomplished busker who has spent a great deal of time living, touring and recording in Australia. He is joined on this twelve-track album by musicians such as Boy and Bear skinsman Tim Hart, bassist Cameron Undy and keyboardist Stu Hunter from Katie Noonan & The Captains.
Rosenberg has created a wonderfully rich modern folk sound that is highly seductive and punctuated with deft and wise lyrics. Rosenberg is an incredibly thoughtful and incisive lyricist who inspires listeners to think deeply as they ride the melodic wave that he conjures in his quiet and gentle way. On Things That Stop You Dreaming he articulates the sobering challenge we face when our ideal world seems to shimmer like an elusive mirage that slips repeatedly from our grasping reach: “If you can’t get what you love/You learn to love the things you’ve got/If you can’t be what you want/You learn to be the things you’re not/ If you can’t get what you need/You learn to need the things that stop you dreaming.”
For the perfect combination of vitriol and humour, check out I Hate recorded live at The Borderline in London. On Staring At The Stars his cheeky wordplay is on par with the witty verbal gymnastics that Alex Turner brings to Arctic Monkeys and The Last Shadow Puppets: “Hearts are sad and eyes are tired and all this Red Bull keeps us wired/Gives us wings/It gives us rings around our eyes.” Rosenberg’s poetic way with words and his knack for generating swelling, soaring melodies ensure that All The Little Lights is an engrossing and pleasurable listening experience from start to finish.
BY GRAHAM BLACKLEY
Best Track: Staring At The Stars
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Sigh No More MUMFORD & SONS
In A Word: Intelligent
