Parachute

It's hard to pinpoint what exactly makes Trio Dhoore's music their own: what makes their art distinctive, or even identifiably Belgian. That's partly because, although they are an instrumental trio playing folk instruments – hurdy-gurdy, diatonic accordion, guitars and mandola – the brothers Dhoore write all their own material. Their tunes are folk-ish, but there is ultimately something insubstantial about them. In a sense, these tunes could have come from anywhere: Brittany, Shetland, Wales or Cornwall. And that's not a strength, it's testament to a blandness at the heart of this music. It's a generic sound-world, with easy-on-the-ear production that washes the music over you. On ‘Very Jeune’, they are joined by a guest saxophonist, and the music veers dangerously close to Kenny G territory. The Dhoores have a fondness for cloying harmonising – adding a cheesy-sounding harmony line that mirrors the lead, usually a third above – and it's a trick they over-indulge in.

It's only when the trio turn to minor keys that the listener's ears prick up. ‘Way to Kaunas/La Douce Lande’ signals a (slight) change of mood. ‘Special Bullets/Air Force’ picks up the pace, and has a satisfying key change in between its two tunes.