The New Acoustic Movement produced maybe three albums of real worth: Kathryn Williams’s 'Little Black Numbers', Kings of Convenience’s 'Quiet is the New Loud' and James Yorkston’s 'Moving up Country'. The rest of the trash released before The Strokes saw off the whole ghastly freakshow - and that continues to dribble embarassingly out - was lyrically incompetent, barely musical bollocks. Damien Rice is a Tom McRae clone. He recorded his sparse arrangements while living in an Irish boathouse, breaking into Gregorian chanting and a quick burst of cod-Inuit as the mood took him. He is a foolish child trying to have an adult’s emotions, a disgrace to Nick Drake’s legacy. Clearly desperate to be a Buckley, Young or Oberst; he sounds more like a sober Ryan Adams (lovely image, no?). A deformed whiteboy cliche, in a perfect world he’d be living out his fantasies in a secure facility.

Luke Ingram