I was thinking of something but I can’t remember precisely what. Wait a minute. Was it something to do with the demise of power pop? Or was I just thinking too much? Probably. Anyway, the world hasn’t yet been compressed flat so on to the subject of “Pity Party” by Glasgow’s very own Anna Secret Poet.
You can almost hear Anna Secret Poet decrying the global misery that surrounds us by deciding to make some positive noise with these twelve songs. Perhaps that is an old fashioned approach but, if you have enough in the way of robust riffs, it can be done and duly Anna Secret Poet has done it and, while “Pity Party” certainly benefits from the application of some volume, this album is more than a full on assault on the ears. With a nice line in acerbic lyrics and an all pervading square peg in a round hole attitude, Anna Secret Poet manages to crank up the coffee shop interest level to point where you might well feel that you have been time travelled to a better time and place by the mere manipulation of words and music.
When all is said and done, “Pity Party” both made me smile and made my feet move and that’s not something that happens too often these days. I may also have further destroyed my remaining musical credibility by doing some devastating air guitar moves to a couple of the songs. Now, that’s the kind of euphonious bonus we all need more of.
Best song? “I Have Forgiven You”. Razor sharp and energetic.
The verdict? An album to raise your spirit.