Album review: Merz, No Compass Will Find Home (Accidental)

Five years on from the enchanting Moi et Mon Camion, Conrad (Merz) Lambert has relocated to the Swiss alps, found a new collaborator in the form of Matthew Herbert, and changed course completely.

Unfortunately, to a large extent the baby has gone with the bathwater: the folksy, pastel tints and subtly uncoiling emotional landscapes have been supplanted by cluttered arrangements and astringent timbres. Songs like "Eudaimonia" and "Judge" are too busy for their own good, and while there's no doubting Merz's sincerity, the lyrics struggle to penetrate the combative arrangements.

Download: Goodbye My Chimera; The Hunting Owl