Stornoway is a folk-pop band from Oxford that plays some super pretty songs. How do they do it? Well, they make the prettiness using some pretty acoustic guitars and some of those pretty strings and other non-traditional pretty instrument things, of course.

It's also easier to make pretty songs when your singer (in this case, Brian Briggs) actually has a pretty voice. And it all adds up to something not only pretty, but all very nice to listen to.

Stornoway can be compared to all those pretty pop bands like The Decemberists (Briggs rocks a little Meloy action in his vocal style but, you know, a little less grating), Fanfarlo (mostly because of the strings and things) and maybe a bit of Belle & Sebastian (because that band is just pretty).

4AD recently signed these lads and my money is that Stornoway are going to be huge pretty soon. Why? Well, because, who doesn't like pretty music? Show me the person that doesn't like pretty music and I'll run far, far away from them. You've got to be pretty sick and twisted not to like the prettiness.

BUY TICKETS TO SEE STORNOWAY AT UNION HALL!

BUY TICKETS TO SEE STORNOWAY AT MERCURY LOUNGE!

Stornoway plays Union Hall, on Wednesday, July 7th, and Mercury Lounge, on Thursday, July 8th.