Badly Drawn Boy

To quote Michael Bolton, "Love is a wonderful thing." Manchester's Badly Drawn Boy, aka Damon Gough, must have been thinking this during the writing process of his highly anticipated debut album, The Hour of Bewilderbeast. Already being called the best songwriter in England, BDB uses the mushy theme of love as his subject matter for most of his 18 tracks on the album. Even the album cover and sleeve are devoted to his big, warm heart. Comparisons to Nick Drake and Elliott Smith would be too easy, and Gough is more talented than the latter and maybe even the former. Songs like "Pissing In The Wind" and "The Shining" are enough to make you fall in love all over again. Also, be aware that BDB can groove. Some have been calling this the "indie rock Pet Sounds" and, while it may be too early to compare him to Brian Wilson, this definitely is a pop classic.