Windmill is the debut work of 26-year old Newport Pagnell (UK) native, Matthew Thomas Dillon. Dillon describes the project as ?piano, huge drums and finding a different way of saying things?,? and all of the above are present in spades on opener, ?Tokyo Moon,? which, combined with Dillon?s high-pitched, squeaky voice immediately bring to mind the quirky, off-kilter pop of Wayne Coyne and Flaming Lips. ?Boarding Lounges? adds strings to the rousing chorale accompaniment, and, while his Bjork-on-helium vocals may initially set you back a few paces (I haven?t heard a voice this high since Klaus Nomi shuffled off his mortal coil), his penchant for writing catchy choruses and inviting what sounds like a hundred mates to come in to sing them with him ensures that you certainly won?t be bored listening to them!

Dillon couches his lovely melodies in luch arrangements that belie the ?singer/songwriter/bedsitter? tag thanks in no small part to the assistance of co-producer Tom Knott and which imbue the album with an Elephant 6-like atmosphere a la Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control. Tinkling pianos, heavy percussion and elaborate vocal arrangements keep things rolling at a brisk pace and fortunately, the focus is not on tossing the kitchen sink at the listener, but on the song?s melodies and hooks, thus ensuring the listener?s mind doesn?t get too distracted by everything that?s happening. In that respect, fans of over-the-edge hookmeisters like Robert Pollard/Guided By Voices and Anton Barbeau and, to some degree, John Darnielle?s Mountain Goats will find a lot to like herein.

Songs like the swaying ?The Planning Stopped? and the shuffling melancholia of ?Plasticene Plugs? (which also gets extra points for being only the second song in rock and roll that I can thing of that works ?plasticene? into the lyric) will stick in your head long after you?ve put the disk away. An utterly charming debut and hopefully a portent of wonderful things to come. 8/10 -- Jeff Penczak (8 May, 2007)