Miocene. Remember them? Once touted as the British Tool, they have thankfully grown and morphed into something far more interesting and adventurous. If one track defines A Perfect Life With A View Of The Swamp it’s the closer I Ain’t Got No Roots, a slice of prime English folk in under two minutes, that is interrupted by a brief drum ’n’ bass break out. It should not work, it should not make sense, yet it does and that is where Miocene have struck gold on this record.

Equally, Calliope sounds like a soft Santana instrumental but has someone reading what sounds like a hushed sociology report over it. What?! Yet somehow it works and most effectively does not smack of proggy pretentiousness in the slightest.

At the same time, this album contains enough hard rock moments to keep it from seeming like a piece of left field crap that was beamed down from an art school in outer space. Opener A Message From Our Sponsors is an angular metallic, almost punk, track whilst the hulking Autopia could have been lifted from a Tool album. Equally there are as many moments that incorporate electronica as there are traditional rock instruments. Colloquial Drug Terminology is sublime ambience with a few seconds of jarring beats and Apologetic Submissives is a frantic mix of bleeps, bloops and hard riffs.

A Perfect Life With A View Of The Swamp is one of the most interesting, challenging records I have heard in years, yet at the same time melodic and accessible to the ear. I think that in this day and age of formulaic pap that is one of the highest compliments I can give.

Find it, buy it.