Electric folk is going to be a throwback no matter how you cut it, but this time around Alex Neilson and company volley right past Joe Boyd and directly to William Byrd, providing a thoroughly vital update on the sounds of Fairport Convention, Pentangle et al. And while a healthy early music influence has always been par for the course in British folk, the Bells take things far beyond beads-and-brocade renaissance hippie trimmings and eagerly display Neilson’s deepening understanding of Medieval and Renaissance music with a generous helping of period-style writing and instrumentation. Not that it negates the fuzz and flowers—"September Is The Month Of Death" is likely the only place you’re going to find crumhorn and e-bow guitar in the same bizarre broken consort.
All the while, Abandoned Love is far poppier than its predecessor Carbeth, with co-producer Stevie Jackson dropping Belle & Sebastian touches throughout and keeping the madness of the group’s debut reigned in. Those turned off by Lavinia Blackwall’s somewhat strident soprano will find the keys a little mellower, and the lyrics a little less dedicated to desperate heartache. In fact, there are some positively upbeat moments—"Love Made An Outlaw Of My Heart" is pure California, something like a Monkees outtake with a Sneaky Pete guest spot. Abandoned Love is clearly made by folks with a voracious appetite for music, and is a more than fair offering in kind.