Nova Scotia

Cousteau have had to overcome inherent difficulties since the release of two glorious, critically acclaimed albums ('Cousteau' in 2000 and 'Sirena' in 2002). Towards the end of an American tour, the band found out that their songwriter and creative lynchpin Davey Ray Moore was leaving to do his own thing. Vocalist Liam McKahey recalls a gloomy gathering with guitarist Robin Brown, drummer Craig Vear and bassist Joe Peet in a Boston airport bar, 'We thought it was the end and we were all feeling really emotional. But after a few pints, we'd decided to carry on and do the song writing ourselves. It was sink or swim, and we decided to swim.' While 'Nova Scotia' is undoubtedly a Cousteau record, possessing McKahey's trademark Scott Walker-esque baritone and Robin Brown's distinctive atmospheric lines, it does perhaps signal a subtle shift away from a Bacharach-ian pop sensibility to a rawer, more rock-borne sound.