The Telescopes 'You Set My Soul' (Creation Records, 1992)

Emerging with a caressed semi-acoustic twang, three tracks into their debut (and only) album for Creation, 'You Set My Soul' was something of a revelation from a band more noted for psychedelic feedback bliss-outs like 'The Perfect Needle' and other delights on the album like 'Splashdown' which start relaxed and plaintive but burst into crunchy distortion and sky-saw guitar solos. Instead 'You Set My Soul' has a rather post-Spirit Of Eden (Talk Talk's late 80s masterpiece) glow.

Buoyed along by a deliciously springy double bass line and expertly brushed drums, the feel is as blissed-out as usual for The Telescopes but the sound is crisp and clean and acoustic, and sets the tone what is a very lovely, laid-back meander, no distortion or solo-ing disturbing the haze.

The sound is wonderfully subtle and restrained, coloured with details like occasional piano flourishes and some gorgeous close-miked guitar, occasional dubby echoes and very, very underplayed harmonica (headphones only to hear that one, I think).

Effortlessly cool and perfectly underplayed, a total classic that probably didn't make it onto the soundtrack of the Creation Records film, Upside Down. However, it absolutely should be there as it demonstrates that it was the freedom, experimentalism and support for artists that made the label special. Not the T-Rex pastiches.

Download The Telescopes 'You Set My Soul' (mp3, Box.net)