5x****
An album this subdued is bound to have some rather sleepy stretches, such as the opener "A Single Kiss", but the next 3 songs are more engaging. Starting with shoegazer-pop on "For This One"****, murmured vocal melodies meet delicately tuneful instrumentation, on electronic "What Can I Say To change Your Heart"****, and the shimmery "Abba On The Jukebox"****, like some songs by Air create a dream setting. Two instrumentals and slight ballads follow. "Last summertime's Obsession"**** is similar to "Abba...", but "A London Story"**** which switches between spacey verses and a more driving acoustic guitar chorus seems like a kind of turning point, after which the rest of the album is for quiet contemplation. Organ-driven "To Keep Your Heart Whole" first appears as a benediction, building up to a transition, a way to move on, but closing by saying 'I'm sorry for everything' just creates an ending, though that may be the point.
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