joesrecords

Reviews:

It's tempting to reject this Leeds quintet as the latest to jump on the U.K. "third wave of the new wave" bandwagon, following the success of Franz Ferdinand (who Kaiser Chiefs have opened for). Vocalist Ricky Wilson may be going for Andy Partridge's staccato grunt but his too-peppy affected vocals sound more like a cross between Oingo Boingo's Danny Elfman Fred Schneider, and when he signs in a more natural voice, he's a dead ringer for mid-'70s Brian Eno. The allusions to Madness are so typically cheeky, and there's even an apparent homage to The Normal's "Warm Leatherette" at the outset and a complete Mark E. Smith Fall-cop on the verses on "Saturday Night.". Finally Stephen Street's production will make you recall his work with Blur more than his Smiths heyday, and you could easily imagine Damon Albarn singing a bunch of these. Yet the band's infectious energy, singsong hooks, and blunt lyrics soon start to get you like a friend who won't stop tickling. Andrew "Whitey" White turns out to be an adroit guitarist full of chunky lead runs, and the rhythm section pushes like they've got ants in the past. And though they're a band that sounds like an instant party, they don't check their brains at the door.