Album review: The Duckworth Lewis Method, Sticky Wickets (Divine Comedy Records)

The follow-on to their beloved titular 2009 debut finds Duckworth and Lewis exploring further aspects of the beautiful game, from its amateur enjoyability and levelling qualities to the euphonious variety of its argot.

But it's the more metaphorical possibilities afforded by cricket that produce the most moving pieces here, particularly the poignant depiction of the umpire's lonely lot in “The Umpire”, and the daydreaming journeyman confined to the outfield in “Third Man”, with Daniel Radcliffe as the fielder's Harry Lime fantasy. Radcliffe's just one of a pavilion of guest voices including Stephen Fry, Blowers and Bumble, expanding the expressive range of an album already marked by a diversity of musical approaches.

Download: The Umpire; Third Man; Mystery Man; Nudging And Nurdling