Head Over Heels - Single

Ian Crause's three-song single on Acuarela isn't all that much different from his debut from two years prior, as it falls in line with its surprisingly contemporary predecessor. Crause continues to tote around his sampler, applying odd sounds and twisted bits to his songs that are, at base level, pop songs. The hook-driven A-side, featuring Crause's former DI mate, Rob Whatley, on drums, is the obvious standout. To an extent, it comes off as a long-lost alternative radio hit from the early '90s. Then again, there's something about the production that throws it out of any easily pegged time frame. There's little mistaking that "Tied up in Knots" sounds like translated-to-English Cocteau Twins circa Heaven or Las Vegas, a notion that could have a little to do with Robin Guthrie's mixing services. It's a pleasant, frail wisp of a song that might have benefited from Crause delegating the lead vocals to recording mate Cheryl Freedman. It's becoming somewhat evident that Crause has been at his best when dealing in chaotic, tension-addled experimental pop. Regardless, it's great that this major talent is sticking around, prior financial messes and other major frustrations be damned.