But first, an important aside: an up-and-coming band, what greymatter lack in business experience, they more than make up for with imagination and gumption. The group certainly know how to butter up this reviewer, they sent me some sweets! This, I believe, is called "working the media PR machine", but will it work? Will a sugar rush cloud my judgement? Will my sound journalistic integrity be swayed by some gummi treats? Wait and see!

Back to business. greymatter (yes, it's all lowercase) started off as an Indigo Girls tribute act and gradually built up a fan base of their own. Soon they began to experiment with their own songs and became a band in their own right. Georgey Payne, greymatter's resident genius, who has been playing and writing music since she was a tiny tot, writes most of the material. On top of some strong tunes, sound production and musicianship, greymatter have been developing a reputation as a great live band - their album launch date sold out and their fans can't get enough of them.

Recently they came full circle with a starring spot in Cardiff's lesbian tribute show as The Indigo Girls, but make no mistake, this is no retrospective step, Caterpillar Tree shows greymatter flexing their musical muscles and moving onwards.

If you've never heard greymatter, try to imagine the songs of Nelly Furtado sung with a slight Melissa Etheridge huskiness, with snatches of Syd Straw thrown in for good measure. And harmonies. And musical tips o' the hat towards Fleetwood Mac, even some 70s country rock. That's Caterpillar Tree; mellow, quiet, well-made and solid. Caterpillar Tree, and greymatter as a whole, are the perfect antidote to Estelle played on someone's phone speaker on the top deck of a bus.

Jules' brass highlights make the music more vivid, and the musicianship is typically strong. Payne delivers some very accomplished song-writing, with complex structures and themes. I'm sure listeners will love her singing but I'm wondering how the songs would sound if they were covered by someone else. It would be fascinating to hear them given another spin, or a different slant.

It's true that greymatter might be an acquired taste. Caterpillar Tree is a profoundly earnest album and as a result is very, very lesbian! It's not quite mullet and dungarees territory, but you could imagine someone choosing a greymatter tune to accompany their Civil Partnership vows! A bit more liveliness wouldn't go amiss, but clearly the group has a certain sound, their own way of doing things, and if it ain't broke, there's no reason to fix it.

Now, where were those sweeties?

Read our interview with greymatter and our review of their debut album Hands on Fire. Want more? Then check out our  2007 interview with greymatter.

Caterpillar Tree, by greymatter
Released by: greymatter
Price: £10

Find out more at www.myspace.com/greymatterlive and go to www.greymatter-music.co.uk to buy Caterpillar Tree and Hands on Fire.  

Want more? Then check out the footage of greymatter playing at Nottingham Pride 2007.