British Country music has been a bit of a weird genre. How can a bunch of kids in the centre of London know how to play country music? Can they "live" country music like their American cousins across the pond? To be honest, up until relatively recently, the thought and sound of British Country had sent shivers down my spine. No one's really stood out as a banner holder for this burgeoning scene. Especially when it's compared to what the "real" country guys are making... Fleet Foxes anyone? However, this might all begin to change. Grantura have been playing live for a number of years now and their debut album has been sometime in the making. Can they finally banish the embarrassment of UK Country?

Well, unfortunately, the answer isn't a resounding YES. Now I've caught Grantura live a couple of times. A friend of mine actually used to play drums for them and In Dreams and Other Stories has been talked about for some time. They were courted by labels far and wide. So it's great to finally hear that all their hard work has paid off and they've finally produced that Holy Grail of music, the debut album. The only problem is, it feels a bit flat.

Now whether this is down to the rather muddied production or the fact that the guys in the band have been playing these songs for such a long time that their charm has worn off, it's hard to say. What's even more annoying is the fact that when they get it right, and nail it, there's some truly great moments here. Album opener 'Waves' sounds like the meeting of Fleet Foxes and The Coral - a song with vocal harmonies to melt the iciest heart and the charm to make you hark back to summers in tall grass enjoying the, long forgotten, sun. This is quickly followed by one of their best songs, 'In Dreams' which is practically perfect. Stacks of Neil Young guitars, banjo and layered vocal harmonies with a great intro that makes you banish all doubts you might have had about Britaina (sorry...).

However, it can't live up to this initial high. Only twice more does it recapture this original optimism. The dusky and Weller-esqure 'Down From The Mountain' and the relatively sprawling 'Land of the Big Skies' with it's great interplay of acoustic and peddle steel before it bursts into rolling guitars and a bristling anthem. Unfortunately the rest of the tracks just sound a bit tired and flat. With all the work that's lead up to this release, perhaps they would have been better off writing some new tunes. Yes, it's nice to go into the studio with a bank of pre-written material ready to record, but perhaps it's become too familiar. This shows promise, but next time around they could do with just freshening things up a bit.
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