#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.

#539: Milk Teeth - Vile Child

With two genre-swapping EPs under their belt, a full length was never far away for Gloucestershire punks Milk Teeth. Building on the foundations laid by 'Sad Sack' and 'Smiling Politely', 'Vile Child' is 12 tracks of '90s nostalgia that segues from punk, post-hardcore, grunge and emo with wild and wilful abandon. It's a staple of Milk Teeth, a band who, rather than having not found their niche yet, simply refuse to settle into one. Unfortunately this is somewhat of a double-edged sword for the band, particularly where 'Vile Child' is concerned.

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

#538: MONEY - Suicide Songs

Given its title, you'd be forgiven for assuming that MONEY's second album 'Suicide Songs' was a dour or morose record - even the artwork lends itself to such assumptions. Depicting a shirtless Jamie Lee, knife poised above his forehead, it’s a sombre scene that reflects a sombre title. Even during those several crucial first listens, 'Suicide Songs' remains an album that feels intensely miserable.

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

#537: Guadalupe Plata - Self-Titled

Taking their name from the patron of their home-town, the virgin of Guadalupe, it’s of little surprise that there’s something transcendental about the eponymous new release from Spanish trio Guadalupe Plata. Fusing together the musical traditions of their native country with delta blues and anarchic psychedelia, pressing the play button is somewhat akin to the ingestion of peyote.

This review was originally written for Line of Best Fit. Click here to read in full.