New So opening eccentrically with a fond farewell


in ‘Adieu England’ – a shared exchange of rich sea air and traditional heartfelt folk – from the outset Abandoned Love sets sail in regal fashion. As Alex Neilson continues to tip his hat ever so lyrically to Dylan, Richard Thompson and the studious history of pre-industrial Britain, talented vocalist Lavinia Blackwall’s enigmatic voice (like a 21st Century Celia Humphries) shines perfectly across such well-drafted arrangements. From the heavenly swell of ‘Ravenna’ to the


triumphant closer of ‘You Are On The Bottom (And The Bottle Is On My Mind)’ it can only be a matter of time now before they eventually get to where they are going. Richard S Jones


TRUMMOR & ORGEL Visions Cosmos CD www.cosmos.se


Sweden’s Trummor & Orgel pee in the direction of those same ole, same ole contemporary two-man acts and make far more interesting music than a


dour youth with beaten-up Gibson and pounding drummer could ever hope to. These dapper chaps use Hammond organ and drums. No vocals. They’ve made three albums, have toured with our beloved Soundtrack Of Our Lives and, like so many Swedish acts, make deliriously good music. How does it sound? Not blues-punk, that’s for


sure. Think Caravan’s jazzy interludes or Hardin & York’s more pastoral moments; library music and the dappled light and clean fresh air of Swedish autumns. It’s a cinematic, aurally captivating music that washes over you and soothes the soul. Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills


JASON TRYP & THE PRYSM LEAVES Through A Radiant Looking Glass Self-released CD www.myspace.com/jasontryptheprysmleaves Catchy, jingle-jangle pop-psych from California with nods towards The Byrds, El Syd and Robert


BACK TO SCHOOL Remember when indie-pop meant something?


THE SCHOOL Loveless Unbeliever Elefant CD www.elefant.com


Well blow me down if Loveless Unbeliever didn’t have me shamelessly shimmying round the office like a pissed accounts clerk at the


works Christmas do. Hang on – that was me 10 years ago! The Cardiff collective’s first long- player emits such dazzling pop rays that even a confirmed uniped like myself felt compelled to unwisely re-enact both his mod teens and his indie-saturated mid-20s via the medium of “dance” with little regard for the safety of himself or others. It’s that word “indie” that looms largest here


– not least in the band’s own promo material. It’s the indie of yore; the indie of Belle & Sebastian, St Etienne and Sarah Records, where ’60s fashion met romantic poetry and


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Smith’s confectionary tendencies. I also hear Mooseheart Faith’s laidback, druggy influence (‘Here She Comes’) and Brian Jonestown Massacre’s


uncanny ability to recreate that heavy-lidded Stones vibe (‘Spring Comes Around’, ‘Amanda’). The dreamy ‘Story Of A Girl And Boy’, ‘Beautiful Morning’ and ‘Brighter’ and the “female trio” ‘Caroline’, ‘Amanda’ and ‘Justine’ work best, but almost everything has moments of sublime beauty that warrant repeat listens to rediscover new treasures buried within. Even Lou Reed’s ‘I Can’t Stand It’ is given an appropriately vitriolic snarl, showcasing the band’s Mr Hyde side. Armed with a collection of killer tunes


played with reverential dedication to their influences (“San Francisco 1966 meets London ’92”), The Prysm Leaves warrant further investigation and a wider audience. Jeff Penczak


THE VERMIN POETS Poets of England Damaged Goods CD/LP www.damagedgoods.co.uk


Fire Department frontman Neil Palmer, legendary raconteur Billy Childish and two drummers (including Mrs Childish) bang out simple three chord


wonders that sound like they took less time to write than their final running time – and God forbid someone requests a second take to clean up the mistakes. Sporting Palmer’s sloppy, snotty, tuneless vocals, these dozen Velcro tunes stick long after their allotted half hour speeds by, leaving you no alternative but to start the buggers all over again. ‘Baby Booming Bastards’ is the new punk


anthem for the 21st century, ‘She’s Got Ears’ belongs on the next Buzzcocks LP, the title track shamelessly nicks the ‘Louie Louie’ riff and the rest sounds like the TV Personalities took the Anti-Nowhere League out for a round


outsider art to an optimistic soundtrack of 7” singles dominated by fey female vocalists cooing over jangly guitars and synth strings. The School’s debt to Spector’s girl groups –


both musically and sonically – is occasionally a little too overbearing but it’s the way that nine or 10 tracks into this compact 37-minute gem you’re still stunned by the appearance of yet another smash hit single that will keep you coming back for more. Crap name though.


Andy Morten


TEENAGE FANCLUB Shadows PeMa CD www.teenagefanclub.com


Another half-decade, another Teenage Fanclub album. As their output slows to a trickle, so the Glasgow pop gods seem to recede further back to


their indie roots – sounding more like The Pastels than Big Star as they gently strum away.


Norman’s ‘Baby Lee’ is the lead-off single


of drinks and recorded the ensuing mayhem. Jeff Penczak


WOLF PEOPLE Tidings JagJaguwar LP www.jagjaguwar.com


I once held the opinion that Wolf People sounded better live than they did on record, but I’ve since dispensed with that notion, and


this collection of earlier singles and “interludes” merely confirms this reconsideration. Even taking the more experimental “interludes” included here into account, there’s something intrinsically uncomplicated about the arrangement and production of Tidings, but maybe that’s why it does work so well. Despite an innately dark edge to Wolf


People’s brand of acid-folk and heavy-blues, at times they’d be hard pushed to not brighten the most gloomy of countenances too. Just check out the cocky psychedelic blues of ‘October Fires’ or the jaunty ‘Cotton Strands’ with its haunting flute accompaniment and you’ll see what I mean. Tidings is an indicator that Wolf People are maintaining a rising trajectory towards that first album proper and beyond, and I for one can’t wait for that next instalment. Rich Deakin


YELLER BELLIES Here To Suffer Outhouse Eagle CD www.myspace.com/yellerbellies


Conventional wisdom might err toward the idea that the Las Vegas music scene is comprised only of glitzy showbiz entertainers like Cher at Caesar’s


Palace, or numerous two bit Elvis and Rat Pack impersonators trading on the former glory of


and most immediately Fanclub-y thing here – his ‘Dark Clouds’ and delicious, folky ‘When I Still Have Thee’ are other highlights. Gerry’s lazily non-committal compositions were weak links on both 2005’s Man Made and 2000’s Howdy! but here he shines on sunshine-pop gem ‘Into The City’ and the self-explanatory ‘Sweet Days Waiting’, even if ‘Sometimes I Don’t Need To Believe In Anything’ is a less than engaging opener. And what of Raymond? Always the trio’s least traditional composer he appears to have lost some of the edgy smarts that set his songs resolutely to one side of those of his comrades. ‘The Fall’ recalls his own ‘My Uptight Life’’s meandering coda while ‘Live With The Seasons’ touches on the “let’s move to the country” moves of earlier gems like ‘Planets’ and ‘Winter’ but lacks their life-affirming joy and chutzpah. And it’s this deep pining for that glorious


period in the mid to late ’90s when virtually every B-side, album filler and tribute album knock-off that the Fannies cut felt like a keeper that haunts everything they’ve done since. So, business as usual then. Would we really


want them any other way? Andy Morten


others, but Vegas combo Yeller Bellies are here to set the record straight on all counts. Although formulaic at times, Here To


Suffer is a no nonsense album of roots rockabilly with plenty of frenzied bass slapping and a healthy dose of alt-country Americana thrown in for good measure. ‘El Guante and ‘Goin’ Down’ are particular standouts with an impressive line in Dick Dale-style surf guitar, and the breakneck boogie of ‘Boomstick’ also hits the spot. Elsewhere, ‘That’ll Learn ‘Em’ is the kind of funky alt-country that Alabama 3 have carved a career out of for the last 14 years, and that ain’t a bad thing, whilst the hell for leather ‘Preachin’ The Blues’ is a rousing finale. Rich Deakin


YEOGENE Bonnie Gene (In Scotland) Poppydisc CD www.myspace.com/poppydisc Yeogene is a honey- voiced singer from South Korea, and this album is in two “chapters” – a set of Burt Bacharach covers and a bunch of


songs created by Scottish indie-pop mainstays BMX Bandits. The Bacharach half is retro-charm incarnate,


but it’s overlong. I’m not entirely convinced either that there’s much of Yeogene in it. She seems lost in this lush grass of cover versions, stylish arrangements and formulas to please the indie- pop faithful. It’s a pity, because when she does break free – notably in the tender first verse of ‘Tower Of Strength’ – Yeogene is stunning. The second, shorter chapter is even more saccharine but with greater appeal; the early-morning joy of ‘Love, Look At Me’ is the standout. Fans of Yeogene’s collaborators – BMX


Bandits, Belle & Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub and The Vaselines – will enjoy this, but overall it has a closed-shop aura that’s unlikely to appeal to more casual listeners. Jeanette Leech


WILD HONEY Epic Handshakes And A Bear Hug Lazy Recordings CD www.thisiswildhoney.com


An unfortunate problem for twee indie-pop music is that the moment you hear it, mobile phone adverts scroll across your mind’s eye. This is indeed the case with


Epic Handshakes, the new project from Madrid- based Mittens bassist Guillermo Farré under The Beach Boys-referencing moniker Wild Honey.As soon as the wistfully jaunty ukes kick in on ‘Whistling Rivalry’, one’s future is blindingly Orange. Further along, ‘Isabella’ is constructed from similar sugar-spun ingredients, while ‘The Big Parade’ lobs a toy piano into the mix. If this all sounds a bit fey, well, it is. In its


defence, it’s an immaculately produced artefact. Farré is a warm and genial presence, and his sweetly accented vocals lend credence to lyrics that would otherwise sound too faux-naif by half. At its most effective – the minimal bossa of ‘Gold Leaf’, ‘Hal Blaine’s Beat’ – the album joins the dots between Belle & Sebastian and Herman Dune. Marco Rossi


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