It's been twenty years since Robert Lloyd's Nightingales were the critical darlings of the indie scene. They combined a ramshackle style with Lloyd's laconic wit and deadpan delivery, making them perfect foils for The Fall and The Blue Orchids. Reassuringly, this mini-album sees this peculiarly British phenomenon compromising little, after years of inactivity.
'Plenty Of Spare' kicks off events with Lloyd's narrative and some toytown guitar. The abrasive 'Eleven Fingers' is more song-based and even features a tune of sorts. The splendid 'Bang Out Of Order' features the considerably more melodic vocals of ex-Prefect frontman Alan Apperley whilst a cover of Nancy Sinatra's 'Drummer Man' is given a lugubrious makeover by Lloyd. There's nothing here to quite compare with early crackers such as 'Crafty Fag' or 'Urban Ospreys' but it's heartening to hear that the group have sought to concentrate on what they were good at in the first place, rather than attempt a reinvention.