For such a modest li'l offering the new album from Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin has received puzzlingly hefty kickings in some heavyweight quarters. It's hard to know what were these folks were expecting. SSLYBY's debut Broom was an enjoyable DIY indie-pop effort, if a bit derivative and sonically undercooked, and got them signed to Polyvinyl. The clue to what you'll be getting's right there in the label, one-time home to the indie-rock-lite sorts matt pond PA and Sunday's Best (who would morph into The Little Ones, an even bigger clue). So here's Pershing, again self-produced at home and apparently a blinding let-down. Well, reallyrather has both records and if one had to go overboard as the balloon went down it would be.. Broom, noooo question.
You could argue that ten songs lasting just over 30 minutes isn't much to show for the intervening three years but it seem's the band have - most excellently - spent as much time deciding what to leave out as to what to include. Only one track here doesn't quite work, the relatively rocking Oceanographer; tellingly, it's also the longest. The rest are all smartly constructed, mid-tempo crackers carrying no fat all.
Pershing once again confirms this blog's oft-stated belief that songs with definite endings are all the better for it. Chances are, if you've thought about how it's going to end you've thought about how it's going to get there; these songs are very deftly put together and littered with delightful production/arrangement details. Opener Glue girls is the most structurally restive song here but its still straight-up pop, The Shins on skateboards. Boring fountain sustains the perkiness, it's stompily ace conclusion adding a slight Britpop touch to what's otherwise copybook US indie pop-rock. (Pete & the Pirates' debut Little death might in fact be Pershing's UK counterpart.) Think I wanna die and Modern mystery are definite stand-outs, spry guitar pop and catchy as hell while Macca would doubtless give the double thumbs-up to Heers' bright chord changes.
Yep, these guys have a very cute sense of what they want and how to bring it together. What they want is to pour a little sunshine into your headphones and, to these ears at least, how they bring it together owes more than a nod to Bob Sargeant's sparkling production work on the debut albums from The Beat and Haircut 100. 'Nuf said, surely?
[sslyby]

And Boris have just pencilled in a London date, Sept 11 at The Borderline. This is just a day before the End of the Road Festival; reallyrather's tent pegs are firmly crossed...

Centro-matic don't seem to be on the festival radar at all which is appalling and wrong (Cooking Vinyl you know where your duty lies!). To the Windmill in Brixton last weekend to witness Will & co. vibing off a Saturday night full house, modest magnificence abounding as the band crashed and swooned across the years. Had seen them a few times before but having a sizeable slice of your record collection brought thrillingly to life at your local little venue was quite magical, nirvana being reached during the a capella break in Flashes and cables. Hey, if I reach out I can touch the head of Will's Telecaster.. but then 'pop!', the spell would be broken and I'd be back home howling in front of the speakers (again)...
[centro-matic]

Remember Bunky? It's seems years since their pretty (and pretty whacko) quirk-pop debut (Born to be a motorcycle) which is probably because it has been, three to be exact. But what's this? Signs of life over at their MySpace in the form of the rather gorgeous Wiggle. More where this came from please Emily, Rafter...