After following their critically-lauded debut album with 2008’s disappointing ‘Red’, Guillemots then retreated, allowing leader Fyfe Dangerfield a foray into solo territory. They return with this David Kosten-produced, sixty-six-minute collection of pumped-up power-pop. The opening title track sets the epic tone with its soaring chorus and heaped emotion, while ‘Vermillion’ bursts with kaleidoscopic drama. These are anthems for the heartbroken, delivered with an eyes-shut, fists-clenched gusto. While there is nothing here as magically refined as ‘Made-Up Love Song #43’, and Dangerfield’s lyrics sometimes veer into fromage-land, ‘Walk The River’ represents a must-have for those with pop tastes.
7/10
Words by JOHN FREEMAN
