7

This rocked up indie track is engaging, gritty and soulful.

Southsea set-up 'The Strange Death of Liberal England' are an act whose debut album 'Drown Your Heart Again' has been met with acclaim from people like the Fly and the NME right from the start: and who are we to argue with them?

Adam Woolway's angst-filled vocals are imbued with an Editor's style plaintiveness, complete with robotic, angular melody. A build with struck drums is reminiscent of the Muse, and a trumpet in the middle reminds of...well - no-one - though it blends in seamlessly and brings to the sound that sense of occasion always provided by a fanfare of brass. A dense celebration in sound lights up each chorus - or more a sing-a-long plea "I need a lighthouse to see through the dark."

One thing to comment on would be this complex amalgamation of instruments: though 'The Strange Death...'is skilful in its instrumental execution, there's a tendency to forget the maxim 'less is more' and to overdo it on the variety, to stick in bits that aren't completely necessary.

So there's some slightly gratuitous jangly guitar that pops up for a moment towards the end – then a chorus of backing singers to complete the swaying, dramatic melody: a gloomy yet hopeful, atmospheric track. Well worth a listen.