The Reindeer Section is the brainchild of Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody, who has drawn together musicians from a roll-call of leading Scottish indie bands including Belle and Sebastian, Arab Strap, Mogwai and Astrid. A diverse collage of sounds might have been the expected result - but in fact, because Lightbody handles most of the vocals it ends up sounding like nothing so much as a lo-fi Snow Patrol album. It's so quiet and understated that nothing less than the listener's full attention is required - but those who make the effort will be rewarded with some beautifully delicate melodies and resonant lyrics. Overlong and uneven,Tthe Reindeer Section still proves to a very worthwhile experiment - one worth repeating, perhaps?
