Monoganon – F A M I L Y

The second album from the Glasgow-based four piece shows as little regard for compartmentalisation as their 2011 debut, Songs To Swim To.  A disorientating mesh of angular guitar, off-kilter beats and mood piece confessionals, Family was inspired by a deep personal loss in the life of singer and songwriter John B. McKenna. Its candour may be too much for some, as might its unpredictability: you’ll strain to catch a hold of the drifting Quick Crescent Moon before Best Pals ups both volume and intensity.  

Stick with it – repeated plays start to sketch in colour and shape. Its more frenetic moments snarl like the best of 90 US college rock but it’s the darker, quieter tracks that slip under the skin and stay there. The chiming Easterhouse has a touch of those similarly adventurous noiseniks from the previous generation, AC Acoustics. Difficult but ultimately rewarding, F A M I L Y is balm for shattered souls. [Gary Kaill]