Prefab Sprout's new record, their first since 2001, was discovered trapped in a bend in the time-space continuum. Themed around music's regal, spiritually transformative power, it was recorded by Paddy McAloon in demo form in 1992, intended as a blueprint for the follow-up to Jordan: The Comeback. Never released, 17 years later the tapes have been disinterred, spruced up by engineer Calum Malcolm, and voilà.

As a result, much of the album sounds fantastically dated, harking back to a time when Prince still mattered, hip-hop smelt fresh, and pounding house piano was de rigueur. This sense of musical displacement throws up several jarring moments, but generally it's rather apt. McAloon has always floated eccentrically out of time; what's a two-decade delay to a man who modelled himself on Stephen Sondheim?

Against all odds, Let's Change the World… is frequently glorious. Earth: the Story So Far is the highlight, a wondrous collision of voice, melody and concept, but several others run it close. Though the ghost of another, more fully realised version of this album lurks beneath the surface, it's an enchanting return. Hopefully, more samples from McAloon's vast treasure trove of unheard music will be forthcoming soon.