The Anglo-Norwegian trio Eyes of a Blue Dog returns with a new recording following their superb debut release Rise in 2013. That recording was split between original instrumentals and songs and owed as much to the ambient electronica of the Nordic contemporary jazz scene as it did to contemporary alt.pop artists such as Little Dragon and Lykke Li. The new one Hamartia is more or less entirely songs-based with instrumentals featuring only as brief interludes. The English member is the LOOP Collective's Rory Simmons who untypically plays more guitar than trumpet (only on ‘Vicario Square’ he recalls some of his more cinematic Mark Isham/Nils Petter Molvaer-ish leanings as featured on Rise). But alongside the Norwegian percussionist Terje Evensen, their nuanced textures created by a mix of electronics and live instruments can recall the understated guile of experimental pop artist David Sylvian. They accompany for the most part Evensen's compatriot, the former London-based and Leeds College of Music vocalist Elisabeth Nygaard, who initially attracted attention as part of contemporary chamber composer Colin Riley's Moov. Nygaard takes centre stage and uses her improv skills and sensibility to penetrating effect. Her sinuous vocal is ambiguous and intriguing on lyrics that tackle the kind of moral dilemmas and fatal character flaws as suggested by the album title Hamartia. A guest appearance from epic experimental pop band Guillemots singer Fyfe Dangerfield in duet with Nygaard on the hauntingly stark ‘Before the Night Ends’ declares the trio's intentions towards creating hooky pop songs of some musical depth, something that sadly has gone totally out of fashion. The best of the bunch has to be the trip hopish ‘Blow’, with Nygaard's eerily seductive vocal delicately teasing out the lyrics' risqué subtext.