Good golly, don't miss Olly

Starting with the almost jolly Pain Killer, the duo have widened their band's sonic appeal and turned up the energy.

Pain Killer sings of summer months and should serve as a timely reminder to the flu-ridden masses that winter doesn't last forever.

"That's the idea," said a bubbly Olly, one half of Turn Brakes with cohort Gale. "It's by far the most upbeat record we have ever made."

The single, out on Monday, February 17, on Source, is a taster from the band's second album, Ether, out on Monday, March 3, but stands out as the happiest track on it.

"People criticise us for being dark a lot of the time, but I don't think we are ever depressing," added Olly. "I mean, the songs are about getting out of those sorts of states. That's our agenda and if we change we would probably not be being ourselves."

The Optimist won the band the Mercury Music Prize and was Brit Award-nominated, and everyone and his dog seemed to compare them to Nick Drake.

So it's no surprise that Turin Brakes put themselves under a lot of pressure to come up with a follow-up that would be just as impressive yet different.

"We'd be disappointed if we didn't eclipse it," said Olly. "We are kind of biting our nails. "The pressure comes in waves. Sometimes you feel it sometimes you don't. There's no other way of doing it other than just put your record out and deal with the reaction."

The first thing to note about Ether Song, said Olly, is that it's a far more diverse record than The Optimist: "Lots of sounds and genres get touched on - expect an ambitious record," he said.

"Sonically it goes way beyond the The Optimist, but it terms of the actual songs, they are coming from the same place."

Songs from Ether Song, other than Pain Killer, have already sneaked onto the Internet, reaction to which has been more positive than they expected, said Olly. And Source are very happy. He added: "We have made them a record they can sell, I think.

"It's difficult to say whether that was a conscious decision or not. The energy level is higher than on the first record."

The album was made in Los Angeles with esteemed big-name producer Tony Hoffer. "He has a studio and group of musicians out there that he loves - it made more sense to go there rather than for them to come here," Olly explained. "It started by demoing some stuff in the studio.

"We wanted to bring in someone from outside our little crew and Tony was one of the people we met. We thought he would bring something fresh and he did."

One of the endearing features of Turin Brakes is the personal nature of their music, which is seemingly unaffected by the hideous machinations of the music business.

This is partly due to the band's cosy collection of mates which is used to buffer them from the powers that be. But, said Olly, that can become a trap.

"People can keep you in those places," he said. "We didn't want that to become more valuable than it actually was.

"We wanted to come out with new ideas - we have bigger ideas than people give us credit for."

But all this innovation is not a reaction against their success as an 'acoustic act', added Olly. "Even if the first album had been one eighth as successful we would still be going in this direction."

Album three, whatever that may maybe, will be different again, he hoped, and all subsequent albums will leave their own distinct mark.

"We always fancied being able to look back and see major leaps from album to album," he said. "Each album has to be a creative feat in itself.

"We will always borrow from the one before, even the one before that, but each has to be separate from the others."

Writing and recording is the pair's first love, with playing live coming second. "I like playing live," said Olly. "But touring is not so much fun. Spending two weeks in a bus with ten other men is not always great."

Turin Brakes' show in Cardiff University on Saturday, February 22, will be their first headline show in Wales.

Stereophonics gave them a support slot many moons ago but, otherwise, all plans to play Welsh dates in the past have been pulled before word got around.

"Don't know why," said Olly. "We are not businesspeople and gigging is a business. But I'm sure there was a very good reason!"

Turin Brakes will play Cardiff with the same line-up they've been on the road with on and off over the past two years which is essentially made of a bunch of their mates. "We have deconstructed and reconstructed the new album," said Olly. "The results are very different to the album.

"I think there's nothing worse than going to see some band play their CD. I really like it when a band drop in a different riff to the one you were expecting." Turin Brakes play Cardiff University on Saturday, February 22. Tickets are £14.50.