Boom!
Tis the 17th, and with it cometh the new single from the Alcopop stable. This time, the majestic steeds whinnying with impatience to get going in their inaugural race are Stars and Sons (pictured here at Shepherds Bush Empire). Brainchild of Mike Lord, and featuring Paul Steel – you should definitely buy this vinyl (ltd. to just 500 copies)… But why? Well, I thought I’d let the blogosphere explain that for me. Partly because I’m lazy… But also because they are princes of semantics, fine purveyors of taste – and knowers of musical knowledge!
Firstly, Sweeping the Nation, who said “lovely lovely Alcopop Records, previously responsible for singles we’ve openly admired by 4 Or 5 Magicians and This City, are putting out a limited edition 7″ from an outfit that we had a homemade EP from ages ago and have since had quite a bit of specialist radio play and even praise off evil Jonathan Ross. We talk up so many new bands that by the law of averages eventually one of them had to take off. Stars And Sons are Mike Lord, once of the aforementioned 4 Or 5 Magicians and now making delicious hand-crafted optimistic indiepop nuggets. In The Ocean is one of those songs that’s at once naggingly familiar and freshly minted. Good work all round.”
Dirty Sexy Music too seem to love ‘em, stating “Their lyrics are both sweet and tremendously humorous. After a few listens you begin to feel you’ve known these songs your entire life, so quickly and insidiously they permeate your consciousness. Touches of Belle and Sebastian, The Beach Boys and The Beatles lace their music. The sound is multilayered, to the point that each song at some point could be described as a cacophony, yet it works perfectly.”
Puregroove Records have got involved too, saying “This sounds like a band that are shaping up to become pop stars in 2009. Not the cool kind that appear in fashionable mags and get blogged but sell seven records. The proper kind, that write songs that thousands celebrate life and love with at huge events in the country. We love em.” And if anyone’s gonna’ know what’s hot… They should!
… We’ll leave the final word to Music under Fire though… “Pop this rock ’til your limbs fall off. Enjoy.”
Try before you buy, take a good long ‘listen’ at the merchandise and give your ears a treat is what we all say (actually we don’t, it would probably make us sound like c**ts).
Age old debate: Who’s the best member of Genesis – Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel?
