#544: Pinkshinyultrablast - Grandfeathered

When Pinkshinyultrablast emerged from Russia a little over a year ago, they were desperate to leave the stifling indie scene of their native St. Petersburg behind, a feat achieved thanks to the strength of their debut LP 'Everything Else Matters'. Now an international band in their own right, Pinkshinyultrablast are relishing in the relative freedom that brings with it, approaching their second record from a somewhat more experimental standpoint.

This review was originally written for Clash. Click here to read in full.

#543: Flowers - Everybody's Dying To Meet You

Detractors of traditional indie-pop often claim there's little distinction between records, and even sometimes, bands. But fortunately for London trio Flowers, it takes exactly 28 seconds before the differences between their 2013 debut and second offering 'Everybody's Dying to Meet You' are laid bare.

This review was originally written for Little Inde Blogs. Click here to read in full.

#542: The Libertines, Manchester Arena

Back in August I heralded The Libertines headline set at Leeds Festival as what could have possibly been the return of The Good Ship Albion. I wasn't the only one. It seemed Libertine fever had arrived again; like a sub-tropical disease, contracted during the band's sojourn in Thailand and spread on their return. This culminated in a handful of raucous and sweaty club shows, all without a hint of the unreliability of the old days. 

This review was originally written for Muso's Guide. Click here to read in full.

#541: Emma Pollock - In Search of Harperfield

Even from the title alone, it was clear that Emma Pollock’s latest solo effort would be a record deeply rooted in personal experience. Itself a reference to her early childhood home, and the house her parents lived in before she was born, In Search of Harperfield is ripe with both memories and emotions.

This review was originally written for Louder Than War. Click here to read in full.

#540: Songs for Walter - Songs for Walter

Fascinating, engaging, heartfelt and nostalgic almost to the point of being personal; all terms you wouldn’t usually associate with stories about other people’s grandparents, but then, other people aren’t Manchester’s Laurie Hulme, and their grandparents aren’t the eponymous Walter. Writing a record about, or even occasionally from the perspective of, a deceased relative is never an easy feat to pull off, but it’s something Hulme, writing under his Songs for Walter pen-name, has managed here with both humour and sensitivity.

This review was originally written for Louder Than War. Click here to read in full.