Journeybox are a duo from Glasgow consisting of Pete and Kari Morrison. Aided and abetted in this instance by John Gallagher and Lindsey Scott, this is their self released debut album.
Lyrically, you can hear Radiohead influences but their overall sound is more like a harder version of Sigur Ros. However, quirkiness has been avoided here with a swirling sense of emotion taking its place. Accordingly, there are no little songs here with the title track - "Story" - having an almost epic scope. Of the other songs, "Someday Soon" shows that the kind of melodic understatement that might well make for a bit of the old commercial success.
Now, back to that comment about emotion… that sense of swirling emotion is more repressed rather than directly presented to you. The songs aren't cold but it does seem that a deliberate attempt has been made to suppress passion by hiding it under Peter Morrison's downbeat and restrained lead vocals. Listening to "Sleep Goodnight", for example, made me think of Kate Bush (and not just because of Kari's vocal interjections) but the lack of any sort of theatrics made the song seem a bit of a throwaway. Anyway, I'll just pick a favourite track now and that would be the bonus track "Spintide" that just reeks of melancholy elegance.
All things considered, "Story" is an album that does grow on you. A greater variation in song tempo would have been welcome and certainly more could have been made of Kari Morrison's voice (the aforementioned "Spintide" really highlighted that) but like that old woolly jumper, this album soon becomes something that you return to for warmth and comfort. Worth getting your hands on? Well, yes it is. Nice artwork too, by the way.