Pictish Trail – Thumb World
Pictish Trail's new album is an electro-acoustic psych-pop wonder that's funny, beautiful and life-affirming
Four years in the making, Thumb World follows Pictish Trail's critically acclaimed SAY Award-shortlisted Future Echoes in style as Johnny Lynch opens the doors to his Isle of Eigg home, lets in the sunshine and produces an electro-acoustic psych-pop wonder complete with songs concerning everything from alien abductions to pigs that look like Donald Trump. If that makes this album sound like a self-indulgent folly made by some hermit-like madman then you'd be half right, but let Thumb World dig its nails into your conciousness and there's plenty here to enjoy.
Opener Repeat Neverending sees Lynch plug in and fuzz out on a beautiful echoey meditation that recalls The Beta Band at their trance-like best, while Pig Nice opens with some heavily distorted drums before drifting off into a lonely, troubled meditation on the US President's domestic policy. It's stirring stuff, as is the title track which somehow sounds like Pet Sounds were it made in a bothy rather than California.
Elsewhere, Lead Balloon is a touching apology to Lynch's partner after a night out turned into the monster of all hangovers. With a chorus so fantastic, we hope he's been forgiven.
Creative, life-affirming, funny and beautiful, Thumb World gets the thumbs up.
Listen to: Thumb World, Lead Balloon, Repeat Neverending
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