Tim Best

Parasol brings us another fine example of pop tunesmithery; Promising Boyfriend showcases a young songwriter equally adept at stripped down songs as he is on dramatically arranged numbers. The hallmarks here are Best’s laconic, droll delivery, as well as a sense of melancholy that pervades many of the songs. The album’s most ambitious song is the mis-titled “A Quick One,” a six-minute masterpiece featuring C&W guitar and muted trumpet. It’s a song worthy of comparison to some of the better work of Best’s like-minded countrymen Ed Kuepper and Robert Forster.