The Lost Art
The Lost Art Duo

Late one night, among the clash of pint glasses in the Half Moon in St Clement’s, I heard The Lost Art Duo. Even the rowdiest drunks simmered down to hear these. Two chaps named Greg and Gordo and their guitars. No PA system or flashing lights, just the simple power of two human voices, communicating their woes to anyone wilful enough to listen.

Their debut album The Lost Art plays like a hymn to such intimacy. Within its eight tracks are songs of love and angst, coloured with visions from the afterlife and a last vow to fellow sufferers “you’re going to live someday”.

Opener Equals crosses between delicate two-part vocal harmonies and a call-and-response sequence. Elsewhere, in High and Mighty the percussion, strings and puncturing falsetto inflates their sound to Queen-like pomposity.

The sound is masterfully engineered by Nick Moorbath at Oxford’s Evolution Studios – you can hear the hands along the frets.

My only criticism is that for two excellent singers from Bicester and Stonesfield, their delivery can sound transatlantic... but then I’m old.

My album highlight? Kickin’ the Habit. The Lost Art Duopush the duo format to its limits. But they’re humble enough that I’d be thrilled to sit next to these two around a campfire next August.

The album is available from thelostart.bandcamp.com, iTunes and on CD at their launch parties.

The Lost Art Duo play The Art Bar, Oxford, tomorrow, 7.30pm; and Stonesfield Village Hall on Sunday, 7.30pm (children welcome).