Myspace/@bishoptrelawney

An all too brief EP of three tracks, with instrumental support from members of the excellent Tessellators, Trelawney (aka Ben Reynolds ex of Hundred Handed) has a fine and distinctive voice, a rare commodity these days. Its invidious to cite other vocalists but you can’t help spot traces of the likes of Scott Walker, Neil Hanlon (especially on D-Day Dough), Billy Mackenzie from the Associates.

Trelawney is a name arising from the combined influences of Ben’s native Cornwall, naturally the town of the same name, and the Bishop Trelawney with whom he shares a birthday, all part of the wish to bring the ‘voice’ of Cornwall to a wider audience.

Befitting of a good voice, the tracks are devoid of unnecessary bells and whistles, just some very decent songs and melodies, ably supported, leaving the Bishops voice to stand clear above the mix. All three tracks are good but my particular favourite is Under a Black Flag – its hints of a contemporary sea shanty, a great vocal with just enough posture and attitude, and possible (probable?) reference to the Cornish flag. Myspace also has a couple of additional tracks and demos worthy of a listen.

A tease of an EP, the live performance of which I have missed on the recent few dates played alongside @tessellators and @bravobravebats – lets hope a few more dates ensue and that there are soon to be more songs brought forward by the Bishop Trelawney.