Twenty One Crows: 'Whatever Will Become Of Us' EP

Twenty One Crows’ debut EP comes packaged in a beautiful, hand pressed, limited edition sleeve, which very nearly makes the record worth purchasing on its own. The group’s bewitching, wintry songs present us with a very different view on Brighton’s music scene, one at a remove from the indie mischief of Clearlake or the hard rock, er, mischief of My Device. Yes, Twenty One Crows are anything but mischievous or fun, indeed much of their inspiration seems to have been taken from literature’s darker recesses.

'Just A Crow' cannot but remind us of Ted Hughes’ peculiar collection of poems about the depravity and ugliness of that bird, and Jon Griffin explores the contamination and claustrophobia of a relationship through identification with a dark and soulless bird with a “heart as black as coal”. 'Any Place But Here' is the first song I have heard that seems to draw on the gothic elements of Brighton’s seafront, perhaps in winter. Seemingly looking out at the grey channel, Griffin intones about his burning desire to escape by any means. His stubborn acoustic guitar and the melancholy drawl of Becca Tann’s Accordion make the song leaden and deeply affecting.

The pessimism doesn’t let up on 'Blow Wing, Blow', which also draws on coastal imagery, Griffin sounds like a young Nick Cave, contemplating the diabolic in his environment. 'Mighty Hood' is a peon to the fading majesty of a ship, and all that it symbolises for economic and spiritual decay.

This is tough stuff, music that takes a while to come out from its reclusive shell, but Twenty One Crows are a mature and exciting new force in songwriting.

myspace.com/twentyonecrows

Written by Huw Green.