The band's second EP was recorded live in the studio in one take and left as is: no overdubs and no polishing of the sound. Aside from a couple of stumbles, the performances are remarkably good and those few mistakes (for want of a better word) sound natural. The end result is a recording of what sounds like a real band playing real music. The backing vocals are sometimes a bit off key or out of time but this just adds to the charm of Allusions of Grandeur. Their country-ish rock brings to mind Will Oldham's many different pseudonyms but they are not quite so much old man of the mountains as they are young men of the valleys. Songs like "Birth" and "Could I Even" are vibrant works, elegant and straightforward songwriting with enough bite to set Elsworth Cambs apart from the usual singer-songwriter clique of Dublin.
Packaged neatly in what seems to be a piece of a cereal box with wallpaper glued on to it, this release feels almost like a present that needs unwrapping and upon playing, it sounds like a gift to the ears.
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