The Law of the Playground is the new album from British indie pop duo The Boy Least Likely To. Ongoing disputes with their record label had delayed the release of this, their sophomore album.
The duo create songs that are rooted firmly in a twee pop tradition, a la Belle & Sebastian. What distinguishes The Boy Least Likely To from would be twee competitors is the country tinge they bring to their songs. It's not at all uncommon to hear banjos on a track like "I Box Up All the Butterflies" or for them to use traditional country music structures to form a Wild West aura on songs like "Saddle Up".
Even with those flairs of American roots influence, the band is staunchly English in overarching sound. '60s bubblegum pop collide with '90s Brit pop to give the band a unique sound, almost as if The Monkees were teleported into 2009.
The lyrical content and presentation are also very English. The songs themes and clever-quirky turns of phrase are very Robyn Hitchcock-esque.
All in all The Boy Least Likely To has dropped a fun-loving and playful album on us. It's a shame it's taken this long to hear it.
Best tracks: "When Life Gives Me Lemons", "Every Goliath Has Its David"
Track listing for The Law of the Playground:
- Saddle Up
- A Balloon On a Broken String
- When Life Gives Me Lemons
- I Box Up All the Butterflies
- The Boy With Two Hearts
- Stringing Up Conkers
- The Boy Least Likely To Is a Machine
- Whiskers
- Every Goliath Has Its David
- The Nature of the Boy Least Likely To
- I Keep Myself To Myself
- The Worm Forvies the Plough
- A Fairytale Ending
8.5/10
0 praise/complaints:
Post a Comment