“It was no doubt wrong of me, a stupid prejudice, but the first time I held the CD in my hands, even before listening to it, I lingered over its author: a bespectacled, shaven-headed man a touch past his prime - in short hardly an encouraging introduction to a rock music record.
After this initially off-putting start, I dwelt on the accompanying notes and, discerning between the lines XTC among the musician's influences, was won over. I then set about listening in the right frame of mind and was fully rewarded.
Dave Sanderson, the name behind the Flowerbed pseudonym, is a high-class composer able to offer listeners many a piece ranking way above average. The tracks are characterised by a crystalline pop sound of immense depth, comprising great melodies and a clear voice shrouded in a typically Anglo-Saxon veil of melancholy.

Songbook is one of those rare recordings that go straight to the heart, without mediation; I seriously doubt whether there is anyone alive who remains unmoved when listening to it.

I am aware of the outlandishness of my claim but I just can't stop myself: Dave Sanderson is the true heir of Andy Partridge!
Among the pieces you'll have the good fortune to listen to, I found Travelbag and New Sun Rising absolute gems, the others are merely exquisite.

All in all, the work I'm reviewing is the best Brit Pop album of the past decade, the product of a great artist ; the loveliest CD that In Your Eyes has ever spoken about (including those reviewed by others and which I've not even heard).”

Luca Calcagno, 'In Your Eyes' ezine, September 2005
(English translation by Anne Ridgley)
http://www.iyezine.com/rec/2005/rec17.htm