Paul Simpson Man In A Burning Anorak Volume 1 + 2

Regular readers will know I'm a big fan of the Wild Swans. Their return last year was very welcome news for me and subsequent gigs have shown them to be a very sharp live act with a collection of new songs boding well for a future album.

In the meantime, frontman/songwriter Paul Simpson has released two albums worth of previously unreleased songs via the Wild Swans website, in part to raise funds to finish the band's forthcoming album. All for a worthwhile cause.

Volume 1 is essentially a set of previously unused tracks from over the last 20 years or so. With this in mind, sound quality varies greatly. Beautiful was described, according to the sleeve notes, by Shack manager Nathan McGough as the worst sounding demo he’d ever heard, a fact Simpson takes some pride in. Underneath, though, there's a strong melody begging to be reborn in the future.

The strongest tracks are, perhaps predictably, those that benefit from the best recordings. Contact High is a solid opener, Apollo Tomorrow is excellent and earned the approval of Ian McCulloch. Astral Girl, meanwhile, was strong enough to almost snare Simpson a record deal alone, before bad luck with greedheads scuppered that idea.

Collections of unused tracks are often a decent barometer to a songwriter’s quality control. Judging by this, Simpson's is on the high side. Ghosts Of The Russian Forest and Beautiful French Degenerate are other highlights, the latter featuring a great line of how someone close to you can raise you up even when your friends are against you ('My girl tells me that I'm great/she makes me feel like William Blake').

Volume 2 is a different affair altogether. To all intents, this is the unreleased album The Wickedest Man in the World, recorded in 2004 with producer Henry Priestman. Written after the death of his father, Simpson believed its tone too much to warrant release but time has provided enough distance to bring these songs into the world.

Judging by titles alone, there’s something of a contrast between the young man songs The Revolutionary Spirit or My Boyish Days with I Don’t Think Jesus Loves Me and I Just Can’t Take Any More. Arranged in a very sparse fashion (acoustic guitar and piano getting the most use here), it’s very much a singer/songwriter album, and perhaps better for it: such intensely personal work perhaps doesn’t need a full-on band approach.

The heartbeat of the album, for me at least, is I Never Got Over It. With three verses detailing three various relationships ending (first loves, close friends, son/father), it's incredibly affecting to listen to such honesty. Credit must also go to Priestman for excellent production work, the instruments (including piano by former Wild Swan Ged Quinn on several tracks) wrap around Simpson's words deftly. It's clear Priestman has a deep respect for Simpson's craft, creating a spot-on atmosphere that leaves a deep impression.

That this album has taken so long to find these ears would seem a tragedy, were it not its creator's decision. Perhaps the most intesely personal album I've heard in a long time, for only a fiver it also strikes me as a bargain too.