Ma Polaine

Ma Polaine?s Great Decline are an award-winning band praised by MOJO Magazine for their unique blend of pop, folk, blues, and Americana, embarking on an exciting UK tour following the February release of their fifth studio album, Monster Swan. This album is a return to the grittier, blues side of Ma Polaine, and whilst that influence is evident, the final album still carries their usual ?hard to pigeon-hole? hallmark. ?Japanese Knotweed? flies that flag most strongly, the somewhat unhinged story line backed by a similarly unhinged arrangement. ?Gasoline Can? and ?Told You Lately? hold the most blues about them, albeit from different camps of the genre. With airplay on BBC 6 and BBC Radio 2, and the support of Cerys Matthews, the band's genre-defying charm unfolds through songs that explore the intricacies of human connections, weaving tales of light and dark with uplifting melodies and heartfelt storytelling. Their recent live album release drew this comparison from Fatea magazine: ?a cocktail that is one part Beth Gibbons from Portishead, a measure of Holiday edge and one part Rockabilly growl?. MOJO - 4 stars - "Ma Polaine?s Great Decline have evolved a pop-folk-blues- americana style that is warmly familiar, yet is sufficiently unhinged to keep you guessing?" Morning Star?? 5 stars. "Packer?s voice has a superb range, but it is her interpretative skill that entrances, with the effortless shifts that imbue her evocative lyrics with rare emotional charge" Folk Radio UK ? "..an album to be cherished, replete with enchanting musical treats around every corner".?? Blues Matters?? "This is 21st-century music chock full of mystery and acute observation"? R2 Magazine:???an intangible element peculiar to themselves?? Roots Music Report:??it?s the singer?s compelling and never overplayed delivery, however, that gives this set its sustained, just-under-the surface intensity?.? Blues And Soul Magazine:??The icing on the cake is their vocalist. Stunning singer Beth Packer is someone to get to know?.