Blueflint – Stories From Home

From Mogwai to King Creosote to Edinburgh Leithers, Blueflint – producer Paul Savage is trading his cards for the increasingly niche. Yet this band did support the Proclaimers on tour back in 2012, so it’s not a total shell-shock. Headed up by singers Deborah Arnott and Clare Neilson, they reminisce on childhood through to family break-ups with local accents sneaking into their trademark alt-folk Americana.

The album's inlay is fittingly adorned with a panorama of Leith’s disputed ‘banana flats,’ a likely elaboration of Patch of Green: "Up in the heights a landscape of grey hardened gold." Drum effects on Hawk and Eagle jarr slightly against the predominantly homespun feel, whilst undulating banjo and fiddle are organised with no one really going that virtuoso – but then sometimes it's just refreshing to hear musicians not trying to out-do each other. An uplifting, matter-of-fact predilection towards sentiment-heavy lyrics sees through the essential message – chin up! [Luisa Brown]