Minor Victories is comprised of Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell, Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite, Editors’ Justin Lockey and brother James. Whilst an outfit featuring members of existing, esteemed a supergroup, this does not appear to be the case with Minor Victories. Given the “alternative” nature of the members’ backgrounds, it might therefore be appropriate to term the quartet an “alternative supergroup”.

As would be expected, the music presented on Minor Victories is as melancholy and expansive as the sum of of its parts, with elements of Editors, Mogwai and Slowdive evident in approximately equal parts. The prospect and execution of this intriguing blend is generally captivating, and the finished piece fortunately does not fall short of representing a major musical victory.

In addition to its notable roster, the band has recruited some additional particular personnel in guest roles. On ‘Scattered Ashes (Song For Richard)’ The Twilight Sad’s James Graham’s unique accented vocals make an appearance, whilst on ‘For You Always’ the characteristic ramblings of Sun Kil Moon’s Mark Kozelek are present, with both instances providing a refreshing counterpoint to Goswell’s gentle vocal delivery.

Opening into ‘Give Up The Ghost’, Minor Victories drones into pounding percussion, before fuzzy guitar slices into Goswell’s vocals to carry the opening track to the peak of its resounding declaration of intent. By contrast, ‘A Hundred Ropes’ centres around a looped electronic melody as the track progresses at an enjoyable yet leisurely pace, before a powerful once again signals the track’s conclusion. ‘Breaking My Light’ is one of the record’s strongest and longest tracks, as sweeping dynamics inspire images of breathtaking vistas in a way you can only assume has been pioneered by post-rock veteran Braithwaite. Switching pace once again, ‘Scattered Ashes (Song For Richard)’ is impassioned with James Graham’s contribution pairing beautifully with Goswell’s vocals as the two and the track itself sway and dance to a charming conclusion.

Mark Kozelek’s contribution is drastically different as Goswell matches his meandering pace in alternate verses as tuned percussion provides the simple, rhythmic spine of the track, providing a memorable and pleasantly nonchalant change of pace on a record which strikes a downbeat tone overall. For example, the largely instrumental follow-up track ‘Out To Sea’ would almost certainly be more at home in a post-apocalyptic disaster movie than an inspiring romantic comedy, although the contrast of an inclusion in the latter could be brilliant in its own way. The extensive closing one-two of ‘The Thief’ and ‘Higher Hopes’ is emotive and powerful, with the ebb and flow of the former subsiding to allow passage of the tender introduction of the record’s closing track. Building to a stunning crescendo, ‘Higher Hopes’ is a wondrous piece of music, and a fitting end to an accomplished debut album.

With unavoidable expectations stemming from experience, and especially combined experience in the formation of an alternative supergroup, the bar was set high for Minor Victories at its namesake, which both have exceeded with ease and style. When also considering that the entire record was comprised without a single full band meeting, you can begin to truly appreciate the musical skill and vision available to this astounding quartet.

Minor Victories is available from iTunes and Amazon.

Is WOMPS simply a rebranding of what was previously Algernon Doll, or is it more of a fuzzy phoenix risen from the ashes of its slightly fuzzier predecessor, and does the answer to that question even matter? What definitely matters however is that WOMPS is an alt-rock (simply put) duo from Glasgow, and that Ewan Grant and Owen Wicksted’s debut album under this moniker is Our Fertile Forever, and it’s pretty damn great.

Whilst Algernon Doll’s trio of records - 2012’s Camomile, 2013’s Citalo-pop and 2014’s Omphalic - were drenched in fuzz and emotion, WOMPS’ Our Fertile Forever replaces a portion of that fuzz with pop sensibilities without compromising on the introspective and somewhat nihilistic core of the music. Upon listening to the finished product, which comes on the heels of the garnering of a considerable American fan base, the Glaswegians have delivered an exciting slice of angst-pop.

Despite its negative outlook, the record is fast-paced, with ‘Plasticine’ and ‘Manners’ getting things off to a straightforward and jaunty start with Grant’s downtrodden vocals providing an interesting counterpart to the angular instrumentation. The composition of ‘Live A Little Less’ is a little more discordant as the lyrical content is equally pessimistic as the title suggests. Wallowing turns into shouting on ‘Ritalin’ with the niggling guitar on ‘Cancer Of The Bone’ providing a contrasting streak of indie optimism into the musical melting pot.

’Dreams On Demand’ is tumultuous whereas as ‘Cavity’ is more clear-cut, and ‘How Are You?’ is sincere whilst ‘Another Cell’ embraces the misanthropy which laces the whole record with particular passion. Closer ‘Gift From God’ shouts “pop song” the loudest as it progresses at a jovial pace with an infectious rhythm and melody throughout. This pick ‘n’ mix of atmospheres throughout the album helps to create an unsettling emotional atmosphere overall, which is representative of the band’s mindset and powerful in its own disjointed manner.

Our Fertile Forever sound like the record that The Xcerts would make if they didn’t care so much about pop music, and WOMPS are certainly on par with those talented fellow countrymen. This album is an interesting departure from the empire that Algernon Doll built, but refined the line-up and song compositions has allowed WOMPS to get straight to the point with their collection of angsty pop songs which combine to create a thought-provoking whole.

Our Fertile Forever is available from iTunes and Amazon.