Butterfly Culture

2012 has seen a massive influx of gentle, acoustically soothing, stripped-down British music, and Bejamin Francis Leftwich is definitely no exception to the rule.

As well as being possibly the cutest musician to inhabit the British Isles, he has a breathtaking talent, it's been a big year for the 22 year old singer-songwriter from York.

His debut album 'Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm' was released almost a year ago, and I've picked out two of my personal highlights.
'Pictures' is the first track on the album, and it is a strong contender for being one of Leftwich's best songs. It's typical of the tight-stringed, relaxed, and inoffensive music he produces, its quick pace teamed with his hauntingly beautiful voice and pensive lyrics make it a definite winner set to engage any listener.
'Butterfly Culture' takes a bit of a step back, it's slow and similarly objective...but the lyrics challenge the music's all encompassing nature. Praying to God that 'the girl in that dress will undress' seems like something you'd expect to hear from Alex Turner, but that's what stops him from being boring. The lull that his acoustic vibes send you into is disturbed by his lyrics, making him a bit of a cheeky paradox. How fun.
The rest of the album follows suit really, and regardless of your taste in music it's certainly not one to be missed.