The White Paw ep

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It doesn't matter if you know that Aereogramme is a trio from Scotland and that their debut CD-EP in Chemikal Underground's Fukd I.D. series sold out its initial pressing of 2,000 in a week. Or that they're incorrectly lumped together with post-rock pummellers like Mogwai for their ability to start a song off softly and build it into an inferno. In fact, they use their aggressive tenderness to accent songs rather than as a defining, dynamic feature.

Actually, you don't need to know anything about the band to seek out its 'White Paw' EP - you only need to realise that you're buying it first and foremost for the second track, 'Motion'. It's a sweet, sorrowful indie song about a paralysed relationship - the kind of track that you obsess over for a few days, nearly ignoring the rest of the disc.

Its lyrics are simple but straightforward, as if culled from the salient points of a distressed love letter: "So how should I surround you?/And how should I relax?" and "God, how I hope we are in motion now/It's all I ever wanted". But Craig B. (ex-Ganger) sings them with a raw, immediate sincerity, mirroring Ben Deily's anguished delivery on early Lemonheads and Pods albums - albeit without his gravelly inflections. Calum Davidson's piano also adds a stronger sentimental edge.

After listening to 'Motion' on loop for a few days, listeners will rediscover the other tracks as well, such as the sad, acoustic alt-folk of 'Messenger' and the terse power-hooks ripping through the opener, 'Zionist Time'. At that instance, 'White Paw' becomes more than just a vehicle for one track. It will be the CD that sits in the disc changer for months as other releases are bought, heard, and shelved, always ready to be played when only great pop tunes can make a dark day have a little more meaning.