It’s a bit of an oddity this one. Created by 26 year old Matthew Thomas Dillon from Newport Pagnall, aka Windmill, Puddle City Racing Lights is a an ambitious a debut record as you’re going to hear all year. It brims with ideas and wonderous stories, swooping arrangements and grand statements. It mixes The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev and Arcade Fire together to create a thick spread of music and ideas. Dillon’s voice finds itself in the peculiar mid point between the Rev’s Jonathan Donahue and Kermit The Frog. It’s such a weird delivery that I can’t quite decide whether I like or not – each time I listen to it, I change my mind.

The songs all deal with alienation, loneliness and the those feelings associated with being a misfit in today’s society. Yet the arrangements of the music are so uplifting and grand, it gives the listener a real sense of elation. The song Asthmatic may deal with the common ailment but the sweeping backing vocals, clipped drums and uptempo piano all combine to make you feel as though this isn’t a big deal. The vocals are the only thing that hints at the pain deep in the song, they’re slightly forced and full of emotion. Album opener Tokyo Moon cracks into life with the burst of a PA announcement before the drums kick in, the piano leading the song through it’s words of drug use and the grand experiences it opens.

It doesn’t always strike the right chord though. Plastic Pre-Flight Seats sounds like Keane on a bad day whilst Plasticine Plugs just doesn’t go anywhere and is a bit faceless. For all the other ideas on show here, the end of the album tails off into endless piano tunes with “emotional depth”. Sometimes you can create a deep and meaningful album without the need for strings and piano. This really is a promising debut from a songwriter who certainly has the skills, but the execution is, at times, muddled and lacking a clear focus. The vocals will definitely split opinion, which is a shame as it distracts from an incredibly intriguing album and one that has had me coming back to time and time again, if only to wonder where it’s all going to lead.

Links:
Windmill [official site] [myspace]