aaamusic | On 23, Aug 2010

I didn’t know it was possible to fill one two-track single with as much emotion as The Strange Death Of Liberal England have somehow managed to do in Rising Sea. The titular single is an almost overwhelming example of indie rock at its best; it’s emotional without being melodramatic, energetic without sacrificing feeling – just generally excellent. Adam Woolway’s vocals are strange enough to be beautiful; particularly so in the single’s bonus track, Winter, which falls somewhere between modern acoustic and the kind of throwback to Celtic folk that wouldn’t seem out of place in an early Patrick Wolf album. Being the quiet, introspective track that it is, Winter is quite a jump from the frantic energy of Rising Sea, though both songs do share a common sense of emotional fragility. As long as the latest album is as good as this single suggests it‘ll be, fans should jump for joy.

Author: Katharine Sparks