Grand National

Grand National first gained serious recognition in the electronic music scene when Sasha reconstructed their track "Talk Among Yourself” for the first act in his pioneering Ableton Live project Involver. Though the track was memorable and significant to anyone who had heard it for the bass line breakdown alone, their first album was a discreet success that didn’t make great waves. On their second full album, "Reason to Hide In,” "Cut By The Brakes” and "Tongue” have the same qualities that made their debut release a progressive cult success, with subtle gradients, mellow, understated harmonies and well-crafted layers. The second half of the 12-track disc is more interesting though, with its explorations into dub style ("Going To Switch The Lights On”), contemporary ballads ("Joker and Clown” and "Pack All The Things You Need”) and summer night disco anthem "New Space to Throw.” Still having a little bit of an identity crisis, A Drink And A Quick Decision shows versatility beyond Rupert Lyddon and Lawrence Rudd’s ability to create excellent progressive indie crossover, with a selection of strong prog tracks thrown in to hold it all together.