What may initially seem like an odd pairing starts to make perfect sense very soon upon listening to Lonely Avenue. A concept album of sorts which came about after the two struck up a long distance friendship, with the London-based Hornby supplying lyrics to the Nashville- based Folds. What they’ve come up with is a small wonder.

Having planned to release the album on vinyl, Folds recorded the music live to analogue tape, enlisting the help of legendary arranger Paul Buckmaster who contributes some beautiful arrangements, over which Hornby’s always humour-laden vignettes of the lovelorn and down on their luck play out to glorious effect. No, not really that odd a collaboration at all.