James Yorkston and the Athletes come from Scotland and are signed to Domino records, but any comparisons to Franz Ferdinand end quite firmly there. Just Beyond the River is Yorkston's second folky, acoustic album with backup band The Athletes playing the accordion, violin, banjo, etc. He used to be a punk. Now Yorkston plucks his guitar and sings in a mellow voice about long walks at night, conversations, relationships. It's not as plain and boring as I'm making it sound. In fact, it's really, really nice. The songs are full of doubt, atmosphere and comfort.

The album is produced by Kieran Hebden a.k.a. (electronic artist) Four Tet, but that doesn't signify any bold, avant-garde change of direction, just that it sounds great and works well as an organic whole. If anything, Just Beyond the River is more downbeat and closer to traditional sounds than the last album, Moving Up Country. But it's got energetic and innovative points as well. I've listened heavily for a week now, trying to figure it out, and the album isn't showing any signs of getting played to death, so I think it might last through the winter and beyond.