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Having already established his bashful genius with three acclaimed mini albums and the off-kilter quirkiness of debut long-player "Fancy Barrel", Aidan Smith returns with the next chapter in his captivating story. "Allotments" takes the listener on an epic journey, visiting London, Paris and 'The Bull's Head' and introducing more of the tragi-comic characters that have peppered Smith's remarkable canon of work so far. Reminiscent of Kurt Weill's woozy cabaret and Rufus Wainwright's touching melodrama, but anchored by a traditional pop ideology, "Allotments" is a perfectly-formed oddity; its realism and surrealism runs through every beguiling jaunt. Opener "Morning Was Your Picnic" announces itself with dizzying brass and woozy organ, immediately confirming Smith's unparalleled understanding of melody, while lyrical vulnerability runs hand in hand with a streak of biting black humour. "Murder Ballad" provides a fresh new take on the oft-ubiquitous Saturday night tale of woe, Smith's startling wit and candour sitting alongside barbershop quartet harmonies. Future single, "Wearing Your Clothes", is a sweet account of one man's adventures in his partner's wardrobe ('tie your ribbon through my thinning hair...'), while "Lament Of A Victorian Prostitute, London 1865" is a tender, sideways look at the world's oldest profession. Dramatic arrangements and flawless musicianship send Smith's eccentric characters straight to your heart.