There are plenty of ethereal singer-songwriters around at the moment, as so many of them either seek their inner muse, or want to project a unique sound-scape to their audience. Some do it for commercial gain, which generally stems from recognition, while artists like Iain Archer are produced of sterner stuff.

Sounding in some ways like Icelandic songsmiths, Sigur Ros, crossed with Illinois’s Laurie Anderson, he is of Irish descent, made his recording debut (in the mid-1990s) in Scotland but lives now in London. His new album, ‘To The Pine Roots’, is a mildly allegorical story of his very existence and his soft murmuring lyrics lull you into the same sense of natural beauty with which he was encapsulated during its recording.

He literally teases the strings of his acoustic guitar as the dreams unfold, accompanied by the gentle crawing of a harmonium and the warmth of his friends and close family, who shared the experience with him, deep in Germany’s Black Forest. You can sense the sheer delight in each and every track, because there is an unhurried, relaxed gesturing that is taking place, which seems to reflect the gentle harbour of woody familiarity and a natural musical progression that could only arise from such peaceful surroundings.

That is what he sought and the delivery is occasionally sumptuous, sometimes naked, but always utterly seamless and a clear stream of one man’s consciousness as he samples a flavour of one element of his life and drifts effortlessly into another, on an ad hoc basis, track by track. The sound is something that you just do not want to finish, you want it to wash over you, a sort-of musical, warmed milk, bathing session. He is a talented man, is Iain Archer. He writes for many other people and was even the writing strength behind Snow Patrol, while that band enjoyed its Ivor Novello Year. Just nine tracks long, you will find your own metaphors in Archer’s languid yet flavoursome creations. Great music from a superbly self-motivated artist.