Intermittently active trio Ivy are one of the music scene's legion of nearly bands. Moderately successful purveyors of efficient, polished but ultimately uninvolving electric pop tunes leant a generally unearned air of sophisticated French lassitude by Dominque Durand's vague vocals. An Ivy album is the sort of record bought in moments of weakness; a glance at the shelf shows reallyrather has had, er, three such moments. There's an undertow which pulls this blog in now and then, an effect which also seems to extends to other projects to which band founder Andy Chase attaches his name. And sometimes you're pulled to some very nice places.
Florida trio The Postmarks' debut is released on Chase's Unfiltered label and from the first bars of the opening track Goodbye the attraction - to Chase and pretty well everyone else - is obvious...

Willowy, billowy retro pop with lots of vintage period detailing. A Postmarks song like You drift away (right down to the title) could easily be Ivy save for the more pop-classicist instrumentation. Brass, strings, vibes, etc abound but it's never overblown, the scale being decidely 'chamber' throughout. And it's an altogether mellower and richer propostition with plenty of space in the arrangements, only rarely threatening to slip into Ivy's hermetically sealed pop-rock radio-edit mode. The whole thing is an oh-so-tasteful package - check the fonts and colouring and layout of the packaging - but happily all this attention to detail goes hand-in-hand with some very attractive tunesmithing.

Sitting by the window sill
where the sunbeams
Melt my daydreams

...is a line from a dreamy delight called Watercolours and pretty much puts you right there, really. Wisftulness and the weather, sometimes its all you want. The pretty plink of Weather the weather, the playful motif which accents Summers never seem to last (duh!), the killer chord change within the utterly swoonsome last minute-and-a-half of the Baccarach-inspired Winter spring summer fall, pleasing little pleasures which pile up to create a distinctly desirable if undemanding whole. Tim B's breathy vocal isn't much more interesting or expressive than Ivy's Durand but then not much is asked of her other than to be vaguely alluring in that '60s French fashion. Clocking in at an optimum 40mins-ish, not much on here outstays its welcome. Know which way the wind blows, sounding like an homage to the soundtrack of those cult TV shows which tended to star Peter Wyngarde [see], almost does but it's worth hanging round for the John Barry blast right at the end. No-one really needs this record but if you get it you'll play it...quite a lot...

..but, but, but...for a fresher, livelier updating of that breezy go-go pop sound you really should turn to anglo-Portugese duo Pipas. Sorry love made the reallyrather top ten for '06 and still sounds super-fresh...

Can't really explain just why the Postmarks record should exercise a greater instinctive pull on this blog than something like the (equally period-referencing) new one from The Clientele but it does. Maybe its girl singers. Whatever, reallyrather would have no problem if The Clientele were to pop up on the 2007 Mercury Music Prize shortlist...but they probably won't...

And on the subject of overlooked Brits, news of a forthcoming new record from James William Hindle. This guy's last two releases Prospect Park and Town feeling are well worth tracking down, filled as they are with engaging, open-hearted folky pop, Hindle's songs beautifully fleshed out by the likes of Kevin Barker, Gary Olson and Neil Cleary. Most of these have been called on again for a set which it's hoped will appear in late summer...
[hear jwh]

To the Brixton Windmill for another tip top li'l set from My Sad Captains featuring a couple more v. encouraging new songs. And in the mystical way of things, the magic words 'our new single' turned Bad decisions from solid squad player into star striker. This night was supposed to have been a first London headline show by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin but they bailed in favour of Bardens Boudoir a couple of nights before. Which, as it turns out, did everyone a favour since a) Yeltsin got to stretch out and do at least 14 songs and b) the Captains were spared being scared half to death by SSLYBY's tightness and sheer alt-pop agility. The versatile quartet blazed through a set which seemed to include all of the debut Broom and most of whatever the next will be called. Not that there appeared to be very many but any lingering doubters in the room were eventually pulled in with a crowd-pleasing cover of Arrested Development's Mr Wendal. The lightness of the vocals in the mix was the only way this six-quid show could be crabbed. Often lumped in with the likes of The Shins, on this form live they reminded this blog of The Little Ones...

...whose Lovers who uncover, released on their cracking mini-lp earlier, was put out as a single a couple of weeks back: