Twenty-five-year-old Irishman Flynn’s quirky debut rings true. His muted nylon-string finger-picking and occasional blasts of trumpet get fleshed out with help from his band, the Sussex Wit. Cellos weep, accordions wheeze, mandolins shimmer and banjos strut, leaving Flynn to tell tales with his middle-English literary flair and earthy vocalizing. Rollicking anthems give way to somber songs that start to drag. But when his little sister Lillie chimes in with harmony vocals that add a sweet feminine touch, “A Larum” works magic.
Download: “The Box.”
8/5/2008