Malcolm Jack, The List, 01.10.06 [4/5]

Recorded in a loft in East Lothian, this has been a slow burner of a third album for Northern Alliance, taking two years to finish, largely because members were variously doing real stuff: writing a novel, travelling, studying – having babies. Its title refers to the embryonic stages of said sprogs, although could be taken in hindsight as a reference to its own patient genesis. Or the way tracks swell and cascade so unhurriedly, into works of beautifully fragile optimism full of layered, chiming guitars and delicate vocals.  Either way, it’s proof that if you have ideas, and melodies (and whisky), a great album will follow. No rush.