Ma Polaine's Great Decline - City of Love (2020) [Hi-Res]

Ma Polaines Great Decline's third album City of Love follows from 2018s The Outsider and 2015s Got Me Out of Hell. The creative heart of the band are Beth Packer and Clinton Hough. Although they have been described variously over the years with references to Billie Holiday, Tom Waits and a moody Mary Margaret OHara Ma Polaines sound is very much their own. Beths effortlessly distinctive vocals and evocative lyrics, coupled with Clintons understated guitar, underpin each and every song and on City of Love we hear the character of Ma Polaine explored more deeply than ever before. Recorded at the duos home studio the album took a great deal of patience and experimentation to complete to their satisfaction. Self-engineering the album turned out to be an exhilarating and, at times, frustrating process with some songs taking up to five versions to get right. The result was worth it; the Ma Polaine aesthetic burns brightly on City of Loves eleven original tracks, which are every bit as compelling as youd expect them to be.