I Am Kloot: Let It All In – review

With their sixth album, I Am Kloot's chances of Doing an Elbow reach their zenith. It's been produced by old friend Guy Garvey (who also oversaw 2010's Mercury-nominated Sky at Night), Simon Armitage has weighed in with sleevenotes likening them to the Beatles and – above all – the Manchester trio have never sounded lovelier. If that doesn't bring in the masses, Kloot will have to resign themselves to eternal cult status – a place where they thrive, anyway, because it gives them the freedom to spend two years making 10 deceptively understated songs. Let It All In's richness reveals itself slowly. It's in the small details and the fine print, such as the opening three minutes, which pit John Bramwell's morning-after moroseness ("You think that someone may have snuck into your life and overnight changed the locks") against a sleazy blues beat that eventually swamps his voice. It's there in the desolate emptiness of the Portisheadish Hold Back the Night, and in the distortion that makes a harmonica sound like a sitar on These Days are Mine. A very early best-of-2013 contender.