Big City Secrets
What you get here is something like World Party with twentysomething angst--a combination that works better than it has any right to. The songs shamble and slouch a little, wrapped up in thrift shop overcoats against the emotional chill, and that's fine, because they talk to you as they bum cigarettes and make their cups of coffee last. Arthur is a talent, and he may well be the first person to have both Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno contributing backking vocals to a debut album.--Chris Nickson