A really humble offering from a band consisting of a dude and girl and a bunch of overdubbed trombones. This came out on a Brisbane label, but I can?t work out whether the Ambitious Lovers are from Australia or the UK?uh, anyway, I like this, it?s so incredibly lo-fi that it creates a whole load of charm just from the tape crackle. All recorded on a mono dictaphone ?on some grass they found between strangers? homes? as the liner notes tell, the songs are frail little bubbles of sorrowful, melodious meadow love, grassy paeans sung on a summer night. And somehow it manages to be cooler than that actually sounds.

The trombones, overdubbed in stereo after the mono recordings took place, add a heavy air of pathos to the whole album, and almost a sinister edge at the sides of the otherwise quite unassuming songs. These dudes have clearly been listening to many, many hours of the Microphones, but actually sing more in tune than that dude ever did. Even the little clicks and clanks that distract from the songs themselves are quite endearing, especially the bell hits on the first track which sound like the guy is trying to send out a call to arms to the entire nylon-string guitar playing community.

The record grows on you even as it reaches the fourth and fifth songs, and by the end the silky trombone melodies and nostalgic, end of summer feel gets quite addictive. Lyrics like ?Oh how I wish all the pretty boys would go and kill themselves for some high and noble cause? only made it easier to like this band. In its very inconsequence resides the music?s charm; these tiny little songs aren?t gonna be played over and over, but this little 3-inch makes worthy lonesome listening on a hot Sunday morning. 6/10 -- Evan Rhodes (24 July, 2006)