Last April

Last April,' the new mini-album by The Declining Winter, is one of those rare records that looks grief in the eye and does not flinch. We have all lost someone and the machinations of recovery are complex and multitude. Many suffer in silence. Others put their emotions on canvas or on page. Richard Adams, here, turns to what he knows best - the recorded song. Augmented by the irrefutably melancholy string arrangements/playing of Sarah Kemp (brave timbers), 'Last April' reads like a diary intentionally left open. Fans of Red House Painters, Songs: Ohia and even Codeine, will recognise the plaintive tone here and perhaps take comfort in it.