The duo of Mark Tranmer and Roger Quigley make a deeply affecting music heavy on cinema and somber moods. Compared to bands on the 4AD label for lack of a better comparison (though the title track, in fairness, does sound like Red House Painters stripped of the reverb), the Montgolfier Brothers are their own brand of intelligent, thought-provoking songwriting. The music, written by Quigley and A.C. Jobim, is often hypnotic, settled on repetitive motifs that allows singer Quigley to float past like an unassuming Englishman in the rain. Seventeen Stars is the group’s first album and was issued on a tiny French label before being picked up by a British label. They are as well kept a secret in the U.K. as they are in the U.S. However, if one is looking for an obscure treasure, any of the MB albums are worth the investment. Tranmer’s carefully executed keyboards power “Even If My Mind Can’t Tell You” and it’s his careful arrangements throughout that give these songs a lovely austerity. “Low Tide” is a trip into minimalist waters. “Une Chanson Du Crepuscule” interjects spoken word bits to its elliptical mix. Essential.