The Portraits
Album: Counterbalance
Label: Sensorypulse
Tracks: 13
Website: http://www.theportraitsmusic.com

Proudly partial, committed and defiantly determined to sing about the things they care about, The Portraits bring an upbeat, uplifting slant to their alt-folk sensibility. This is music rooted in centuries' old traditions - most notably dissent - but informed as much my film scores and expectation born of classical music than the jigs and reels of times long gone.

Whether contemplating the departures of loved ones (Open Doors) or the daily struggles that women face for equality (Little Flame), The Portraits politicise the everyday as readily as they tackle universal themes such as global militarisation (Daisy Chain) and the misuse of religion (Shoot Up Dreams). Backyard rails against a society that co-opts lies and intimidation to gag the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, nailing the band's colours to the mast, as does Rainbow Wave with its use of quotes from Martin Luther King, Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.

But for all the big themes and righteous indignation that propels the album, its most telling and arguably most heartfelt moment is saved for the last song, Trilby Man, which pays simple and honest tribute to Icarus Club promoter and champion of the capital's acoustic music scene, Andy Ropek, an early supporter of The Portraits.

Nick Churchill
www.thegranvillechambers.co.uk