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ballboy

ballboy's new album is different, a largely acoustic collection whose stripped-back feel contrasts with its predecessor "A Guide to The Daylight Hours" and indeed the forthcoming full band effort "The Royal Theatre", due out nex year. The new album, which will be available on 10th November on SL Records, is entitled "The Sash My Father Wore and Other Stories" and features strings by Caroline Evens and Pete Harvey. It includes 8 new songs from Gordon Macintyre plus cover versions of tracks by his personal favourites Galaxie 500, former labelmates Khaya, and an 'unplugged' take on Bruce Soringsteen's anti-war anthem 'Born in the USA'.

Of 'Welcome to Vaxjo' which opens the album, Gordon said "This is a love song. I tell a joke on stage that someone told me Id never written a love song so I wrote "I wonder if you've drunk enough to sleep with me tonight", but this is a real and proper one, about Sweden and about snow. Maybe I'm getting soft."

It's in RealMedia format - listen to 'Welcome to Vaxjo'

Like what you heard? Visit ballboy's website here

You can read more on the album including Gordon's track-by-track analysis, in the November issue of is this music?, out in mid-November.