Rogue Jones - VU

The Guardian 60

(Blinc Records)

Rogue Jones are a charmingly quirky band from Cardiff who deserve a cult following. The key figures are the singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Ynyr Ifan, who plays guitar, percussion, bass and trumpet, and his wife, Bethan Mai, who plays piano, drums, accordion, autoharp, glockenspiel and trumpet. They are joined by Bethan’s sister Mari Morgan on violin, bass, drums and synths, for agreeably oddball songs in Welsh and English. The opening track The King Is Dead starts with tinkling effects and develops into an anthem with a melody as sturdy as a Welsh hymn, while the more folky Hungry shows off Ifan and Mai’s fine harmony vocals, and Afalau is a catchy, guitar-backed pop tune. As for the lyrics, I enjoyed “the human heart is a frightening thing, I’ll hide behind the sofa.”