Martha “Blisters in the Pit of My Heart” 2016. Dirtnap Records. Martha’s second LP, released in the UK on Fortuna Pop! Records. Another unknown-to-me-til-now vinyl gift from my friend Dirtnap Ken so this is my first listen to Martha, the bright and bouncy punky pop/alternative rockers from the UK who fit in quite neatly with most of artists on the Dirtnap label. Blisters in the Pit of My Heart didn’t chart to my knowledge, but did receive some accolades, ranking pretty high for Top Albums of 2016 (#20 with The A.V. Club, #54 with Rough Trade). Martha doesn’t have a designated frontman/woman – they all share vocals – and among my favorites on the album are when lone-female member Naomi Griffin (bass) takes lead on “Do Whatever” (subtitled “the fuck you like”) and “11:45, Legless in Brandon.”  I also really like “The Awkward Ones” and the concept behind “Goldman’s Detective Agency” (from the liner notes: it’s “about an alternative universe where Emma Goldman became an Anarchist Private Investigator in order to take down crooked cops and corrupt politicians). Martha lists The Replacements as one of their main influences and besides totally reflecting that power-pop/punk sound, the last track on Blisters is “St. Pauls (Westerberg Comprehensive)” which references The Replacements’ “Bastards of Young” directly.