Stages: Robot Pink Vinyl LP

18 years ago, Electric Soft Parade, centred around brothers Alex and Thomas White, were the latest hyped hope of indie kids and NME-type media. However, their might-have-been moment imploded when they moved too fast for their fans, rocketing off in wildly creative flourishes rather than sticking to a predictable formula. They – and associated break-away bands – have since produced a fascinating array of musical activity, often boasting an inventive yet old-fashioned feel for orchestration. Their latest album, their fifth, is a change of direction. Written and sung by Alex, recorded and produced by Thomas, it’s a seven song concept piece, inspired very directly by the death of their mother. It is, then, a meditation on grief, and could have been a morose nose-dive. It is far from that. The music, while often melancholic and minor key, is given to almost symphonic explosions and lengthy instrumental codas.