You see an album and think "that's gotta be good...." and so it was with Snowbird and their debut album Moon.


Paul Raymonde (Cocteau Twins) provides music along with guest spots from members of Radiohead and Midlake so what can go wrong ?


The opening track I Hear the Owl call my Name is all subtle rhythms and layered ethereal female vocals and very promising. There's a touch of the Horrors side project Cats Eyes about it.


All Wishes are Ghosts slows things down with flute and piano dominating the ballad and that where the issues start - The tempo doesn't really alter until the final track. The layered vocals grate by track 4 and it's like listening to an extended John Lewis Christmas advert. The whole thing is a tortuous listen in one sitting.


The last ballad In Lovely finally allows the voice to sing alone without multi tracking it and so much better for it


There is a track called Porcelain which as a description sums up the album - delicate, pretty but ultimately cold.


BUT.....


Just when you think disaster, the album comes with a remix disc of all the tracks called Luna.
Now I've never heard of RxGibbs but he remixes all 11 track in the same running order


Suddenly I Hear the Owl call my Name comes alive with beats. The vocals are reduced to a repeated sample, guitars muted in the original spring forward and this is now fantastic.


The 3 minute piano ballad Amelia is doubled in length with drums adding much needed colour whilst again the vocals are twisted into samples. Porcelain removes nearly all the singing and adds some shimmering guitar for decoration.


The album I bought was a let down but the very special album hidden as a bonus is the one I will enjoy again and again