This is The Whybirds second album, which follows on from their eponymous debut from 2008. They also released an EP called "Tonight" a year previous. The band comprise Dave Banks (guitar, vocals), Ben Haswell (guitar, vocals), Taff Thatcher (guitar, vocals) and Luke Tuchscherer (drums, vocals). All the band members rotate their contribution to "Cold Blue Sky" as far as songwriting and lead vocal duties are concerned.

The Whybirds open their album with "Glow". This is a song that starts and builds ever so slowly, before exploding quite dynamically with the chorus. This is firmly and loudly delivered thus "Please come home, Not too slow, Your embrace, Makes me glow"! Versatility is the name of the game with this band. Forever rich in melody, they have the scope and power to rock out, which they demonstrate with a degree of panache on "I Feel Loved". The typical flexibility of contrast is evident on "Morning Light" as the 'fearsome' pace drops. With their guitar play both swaggering and swooning, "Isabel" captures The Whybirds at their heart rending, yet heart warming best. My equal favourite track of the album is a Luke composition entitled "Morva". It's a ballad of quite breathtaking beauty. I believe it has a Cornish inspiration, and the bittersweet lyrics are just perfect. It's bryntin! (Local dialect - look it up)

"Something Beautiful (This way comes)" highlights the band's strength, which is that they are superb tellers of tales in song. It's a blessed gift as they paint such lucid pictures that constantly pull at your musical soul without resorting to that other S word, namely sentimentality! It's a point in case on Dave's song called "Try a Little Harder". The quartet evoke such haunting soundscapes. The Whybirds effortlessly flit between the delicate acoustic wistfullness and some well trodden angsty guitar therapy! Methinks who needs the happy pills when "The Losing End" and "If You Stay With Me" are listened to.

"Jenny Can We Take a Ride?" has long been a perennial live favourite. The band always seem to enjoy playing it. Now it is captured on a disc. Many locals are namechecked for a full Befordian flavour. Taff's song "Mona Lisa" is my other stand out favourite. Beginning with the frenetic guitar feedback intro, this sees The Whybirds operating at a ferocious pace. In fact, you can almost feel the sparks fly. Containing much more attitude than the scenesters who just pose or the artless wannabees in skinny jeans, even perhaps the shouty males who scream for no particular reason! The Whybirds rock out with feeling.

"Cold Blue Sky", although it is full of atmospheric raindrops falling in the backdrop of this song, for this reviewer, proffers a friendly, homely, almost sunny homage to 'acoustic Young' (Neil). The final song is certainly one for the delicate of ear to positively feast upon. As this is a CD, I am even given a bonus track, which is called "I just want to see your Face". A delicious addition.

Totalling fifty four minutes and thirty seconds, and containing a plethora of interesting songs, this album is a great purchase, very enjoyable. Credit must go to the lads for co-producing with Tom Peters, who also recorded, engineered and mixed it at Monkey Puzzle Studios, Suffolk. "Cold Blue Sky" was mastered by Ru Cook at Lost Boys Studio, Bedfordshire. Elliot Mazer, you will be proud of The Whybirds' efforts.

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