Sky Blue Vinyl
New label, the same ever-reliable Reds, Pinks & Purples. Within the interior timeline of Glenn Donaldson output, there's been an atypically long gap between records (a dizzying 11 months), and this latest collection, his first for Fire, is not an entirely new affair either, bringing together a series of tracks previously unreleased in physical form. If that makes The Past Is A Garden I Never Fed appear any less essential, then I'd ask you to reconsider. Donaldson has form for compiling records in this manner, two of which might even be considered to contain his best songs - 2020's You Might Be Happy Someday and early singles round-up, They Only Wanted Your Soul from 2022. We're playing true to that tradition again here, and long term fans and new adopters will be equally joyed to hear RP&Ps classics like 'Slow Torture of An Hourly Wage', what anyone who knows the project well might understand as a theme song of sorts, and 'Marty As A Youth' and 'Richard In The Age of the Corporation', two tracks I first heard in the early days of the pandemic (that's how long ago!), on vinyl for the first time. Better still is the presence of a more recent recording, 'Trouble Don't Last', a personal favourite and live staple that arguably sees Donaldson at his most romantic and vulnerable. There's a lot of pithy and sharp tongued moments across the catalogue and present here too, but I'd argue this is the coat he wears best. After all this time and trauma, it's stirring to hear such sincerity remain undimmed. They'll never take your longing from you. Hang on to what that means. If you were questioning your need for another Reds, Pinks & Purples record, there's your answer.
FFO: Husker Du, GBV, The Smiths, TV-P, The Chills
