Junkboy’s fourth album, their first since a move to Brighton and one which harnesses elements of the local Willkommen Collective, confirms the town as being at the hub of a rather special little scene.

Essentially Koyo is a folk album (opening track Firth comes over like a lost Nick Drake track from the Bryter Layter sessions  with its flute, picked guitar and strings) albeit folk with the edges blurred. Home is a blessed out fuzzy guitar driven affair complete with murmured vocals which hovers between shoe-gaze and Howdy era Teenage Fanclub. Dr Rendezvous, in contrast, drifts through various incarnations including a brush with Blue Note style trumpet, though happily without veering anywhere near the terrible F word. Nope, don’t fret, there isn’t even the merest hint of anything which could be termed ‘fusion’ here.

Koyo is a measured and perfectly poised blend of sounds which is difficult to pin a label on. Perhaps the band themselves have summed up the album best – the Japanese word of its title translates as ‘gentle sunlight’. It’s a perfect fit.

Koyo will be released on May, 17th on Enraptured Records

To hear more, visit Junkboy’s MySpace

Currnetly touring as part of the Willkommen Collective tour, The Leisure Society’s Nick Hemming downed tools long enough to do the Suitcase Orchestra Q&A.

If I were to play just one of your songs to someone who hasn’t heard your music, which would it be and why?

A Short Weekend Begins With Longing – it pretty much sums up the themes of loss & longing present throughout our first album, complimented by a typically Leisurely musical arrangement.

You are being sent to the moon. You’re allowed to take 1 album. What is it?

Roxy Music – Stranded. It’s one of my favourite albums of all time & I think it’d soundtrack the desolation of the Moonscape perfectly. Before Bryan Ferry became an M&S crooner he was undoubtedly one of the most poetic men in pop.

On the subject of being sent to the moon, what 3 things would definitely be in your suitcase?

I’d need some form of musical instrument, so I guess a Ukulele for it’s portability (although apparently in Space no one can hear you strum). A copy of Albert Camus’ The Fall, it’s such a densely layered book you could read it a hundred times & still discover things, about it and yourself. A pair of binoculars to peer back at the Earth with.

Tell us an interesting fact.

Planting a pip from an apple will produce a completely different variety of apple tree.

Tell us about a band or singer we might not have heard of who should be featured on Suitcase Orchestra.

Kristin McClement – a fellow Willkommener, she has the most incredible voice & writes beautiful, dark, brooding songs.

In the song ‘Music Is My Boyfriend’ by The Hidden Cameras, they talk about making toast with music and washing his dirty underpants – what would you do for music?

Since I picked up a guitar at the age of 17 I pretty much sacrificed everything in order to play it as much as possible, so there’s very little I wouldn’t do for music.

What film would you be a character in?

It would have to be a Wes Anderson film. I adore his aesthetic & feel a strange kind of pathos toward his detached, dysfunctional characters.

Recommend a book.

Bruce Robinson – The Peculiar Memories Of Thomas Penman. A hilarious & incredibly touching read.

Which literary character would play you in the book of your life?

Unfortunately my life is far to banal too be made into a book.

What’s the worst record in your collection?

I’ve got a couple of embarrassing dance 12″s that I bought when I was immersing myself in club culture in the mid 90’s. They’re buried deep in my parent’s loft.

What question should I always ask in a Q & A? And answer it please.

Q: What’s the meaning of life?

A: Anything you like (a great SFA lyric, especially the way it’s delivered by Gruff Rhys)

The Leisure Society play Kendal Brewery Arts Centre on April 7th.

Visit their MySpace here.

Tomorrow: Part 2. Christian Hardy answers questions set by Paul Weller, Aretha Franklin and The KLF, amongst others.

Although these are all the songs of Tim West, the guest list on The Climbers’ debut The Good Ship (there are appearances by members of Shoreline, Sons Of Noel And Adrian, The Leisure Society and The Laish Quartet , amongst others) gives the album something of the feel of a Willkommen compilation. Which, of course, ain’t necessarily a bad thing.

With almost half of the songs featuring Nick Hemming on lead vocals, and an additional track with vocals provided by Christian Hardy, listening to the album, it’s difficult to avoid drawing comparisons with the Leisure Society but to do so would be to do it a disservice. This is not a Leisure Society record and to be fair, at no point does it attempt to be. The instrumentation gives The Climbers a more muscular sound than many of the bands which make up their composite form and the songs lack the ornate prettiness of Hemming and Hardy’s main vehicle, offering instead something with a darker, more brooding edge to them. A sort of lush folk-noir if you will.

This is no more evident than on Uncommon with Sharon Lewis singing ‘you turn all the lights out before the party is over, you beat me, police me,’ while Dan Michaelson growls along huskily. The guitars are drenched in reverb and distortion and there’s a menacing sea-shanty chorus for good measure.

The decision to hand responsibility for so many of the vocals over to Nick Hemming is easy to understand. His presence brings a sweetness to set against the melancholy of In A Circle, while his performance on the gentle country ballad I Will Never suggests that Hemming has it in him to one day record an out and out country album in full Merle Haggard style.

The Good Ship is released on Willkommen Records shortly. In the meantime, catch them on Marc Riley’s BBC 6Muisc show on 25th February or visit their MySpace here.

The Willkommen Collective, the musical answer to swinging, have been at it again. This time the car keys picked out of the pot include Nick Hemming and Christian Hardy from The Leisure Society and various members of Sons Of Noel & Adrian, The Miserable Rich and Shoreline.

The band, fronted by Tim West, an old school mate of Christian Hardy, will release their debut album The Good Ship once they finish their five year recording odyssey. Experts believe that should be early next year.

Those of you eager to find out what’s in store can listen to album track Uncommon simply by clicking here.

For more info about the band check out their Myspace.