'In Search Of Elusive Little Comets' is the indie-pop album of the year without question. With the Mystery Jets taking a break for the year, the Geordie lads have filled the void perfectly. However, whilst the Mystery Jets concern themselves with stories of lost love, Little Comets have immersed themselves in the long line of great English bands by painting pictures of the glib, their nights out and the anti-heroes.
The album kicks off with the barnstorming 'Adultery' and the joyous Geordie romp 'Joanna'. Both tracks are sprightly in-your-face pop tunes with dark underlying themes. Is there anything better than when British bands combine melody with social comment?
Another great thing about Little Comets' debut is the undeniable grooves coursing through its veins. Their relentless guitar hooks will be filling indie dance floors the length and breadth of the UK for a long time to come on this showing. For too long now record labels (majors, it must be added) are signing any heartthrob in a leather jacket to be the ‘next big thing’. Here's hoping the North East lads are elevated to the level of a Pulp or Smiths in 2012.
Little Comets - Joanna by Mud Hut Digital
7. Baxter Dury – Happy Soup
Lyrically, this album is littered with promiscuous gems his old man would be proud of. Lead track ‘Isabel’ dives straight into this world proclaiming “I think my mate slept with you when you were in Portugal”. Combine this with a mature-sounding Jamie T guitar lick and it’s winner-winner-chicken-dinner time, folks.
'Trellic' is probably the most Blockheads-esque of all tracks on the album but the accompaniment of Madeline Hart on vocals gives the song its own sumptuous identity.
You would be forgiven for thinking that Graham Coxon co-wrote this album with Dury. It has all the hallmarks of his early Blur guitar parts; catchy enough to pull it into mainstream consciousness but quirky enough to know you’re not being sold a Menswear.
Without question, the stand-out track is ‘Claire’. It has a tender fragile feel which gives the listener the impression that Dury is making a desperate plea to someone he cares for deeply. It is one of those great songs which seem like just a catchy pop tune but scratch a bit deeper and you will find something to cling to for a life time.
'Trellic' is probably the most Blockheads-esque of all tracks on the album but the accompaniment of Madeline Hart on vocals gives the song its own sumptuous identity.
You would be forgiven for thinking that Graham Coxon co-wrote this album with Dury. It has all the hallmarks of his early Blur guitar parts; catchy enough to pull it into mainstream consciousness but quirky enough to know you’re not being sold a Menswear.
Without question, the stand-out track is ‘Claire’. It has a tender fragile feel which gives the listener the impression that Dury is making a desperate plea to someone he cares for deeply. It is one of those great songs which seem like just a catchy pop tune but scratch a bit deeper and you will find something to cling to for a life time.
6. Cats Eyes – Cats Eyes
When Rachel Zeffira, a classically-trained soprano, announced she was teaming up with Southend-On-Sea’s finest export, Faris Badwan (The Horrors frontman), our eyebrows were raised higher than the Rock on his Wrestlemania return last year.
Normally TT would research how the encounter happened: where, when and why? However, so remarkable is this album… nothing has been googled. We encourage you to do the same and let your imagination run wild…
We like to think they met at a Wurlitzer and awkwardly went to put their quid in the machine at the same time. We assume Badwan, being the gentleman, allowed Rachel to go first. At his lofty 6ftplus height, he stood and watched with intent as she made her first selection: The Crystals’ “Da Do Ron Ron”. He shrieks “No fucking way!? I was going to put that on”. They then have a unifying night by the jukebox talking Phil Spector and Martin Scorsese, swap numbers and meet the following week to make this rather good album…
60s girl bands are at the core of this album's soul and nowhere more so than on the opener “Cats Eyes” which pays homage to The Shangri-Las classic “Walking In The Sand”. Quite how the psych-punk rocker Badwan came to such beauty astounds TT. Then tearing up the Phil Spector rule book is “Face In The Crowd”. The drumbeat gives it the feel of the Shirelles but Badwan’s gothic nature looms large, spiralling the track deep down into a dark place. Zeffira’s subtle vocals heighten this effect and thus makes Badwan’s character a dejected man protesting his faith in his infidelity until it hurts.
Just as you think you have the unlikely duo pinned for a Phil Spector tribute act, you’re hit with “I'm Not Stupid”. If there was a tune released in 2011 containing more heartache and crushing self-deprecation then we don’t want to hear it, as this is brutal. The lyrics 'I know I’m not the prettiest girl / I'm realistic / I know I know / I'm not stupid' makes us want to comfort Zeffira with endless clichés from Hollywood rom-coms.
What a truly remarkable album this is. Whilst many punch more in weight where tunes are concerned this is two people coming together with a real passion for something they love. They have not let it be some nostalgic trip, they beat and bullied 60s girl group music in to the 21st century. TT imagines Ronson will be locked in his bedroom for a year when he comes across this record.
