The date of the Mercury announcement is rapidly approaching, and I’m lagging in my listening and writing up of the nominated albums. Well the listening’s actually going rather well, it’s just the writing up that’s suffering. With that in mind, here’s my initial offering: Sky At Night by I Am Kloot. I was looking forward to this one, largely because of the involvement of Guy Garvey of Elbow. I’ve mentioned my weakness for that particular band at least once before: I was keen to see what wonders one of Mr Garvey’s favourite bands was capable of.

My initial impression was of a rather scattered album with abrupt changes in tempo between tracks. I found this quite disconcerting and was becoming irritated until I realised I was listening on shuffle. Correcting this error significantly improved my experience. It’s unfair to compare I Am Kloot to Elbow, but given the links between the bands and the fact that The Seldom Seen Kid won the Mercury two years ago, it’s also sadly inevitable. All I’ll say is that Sky At Night is not as immediately catchy or ultimately majestic, but it is a definite ‘grower’: by the end I was ready to listen to it again. And again. The good news is that it repays repeated listening. Not every album needs a story, and I may be overanalysing, but this feels like a raw and honest reflection on a life and belief system. Transformation and self-knowledge seem to be themes, and the overall sensation I’m left with is one of comfort.

Musical reference points include Richard Hawley’s more country-tinged moments, Hunky Dory era Bowie (on Radiation) and a large dollop of John Lennon, particularly the orchestration, sentiment and vocal delivery of Lately. To The Brink is the most overtly Elbow-ish, for what it’s worth.

My current favourite track is The Moon Is A Blind Eye, with it’s gentle presentation of the ambiguity of the inner life and the need for searching. Again, apologies if I’m overthinking. It’s really good, honest.

Will it win the Mercury? I doubt it. It’s wonderful album, and I’d happily part with my hard earned cash. I think it’s one which I’ll periodically rediscover and enjoy. Mind you, anything’s possible.

Link up to the I Am Kloot homepage, MySpace and listen to the album on Spotify.