The caveat that I should insert here is that this is very much not folk. Still, we’re all open-minded here, and really I’ve always had rather a soft spot for Semifinalists.
Unfortunately, the next note of caution I feel duty bound to sound is that, well, ‘Odd Situation’ is just not that good. All the things I’d once admired in Semifinalists, gone. No recorders, no yelping, no eclectic instrumentals and certainly no imagination. Okay, the first 10 seconds do remind me a little bit of something you might hear on Hounds of Love, but otherwise it just sounds like Mew on a (very) bad day. Sigh. These things are sent to try us.
Words: Joanna Legg