Lupen Crook and the Murderbirds offer up some chirpy Britpop for our listening pleasure.
If you care to glance at the website of Lupen Crook and the Murderbirds you will find some intriguing photos of a squalid, messy flat. Beer bottles festoon the grubby carpets. An old kettle sits in the living room for no apparent reason, battered indie tennis shoes peek out from the corners of the frame. It may not be everyone’s idea of a comfortable home, but it’s the home of musicians. Musicians who know doubt spend every waking moment of their lives playing guitars and writing songs. Screw cleanliness they’ll say! It’s counterproductive in the mindset of an artist. Or at least, that’s what Mr. Crook probably tells his landlord.
'The Lost Belongings’ EP, released 19th July, sounds like what this flat is. It literally sounds like a man decided to write four Britpop indie tracks, live in a Britpop indie house and have a Britpop indie life as a consequence. There’s nothing particularly ‘wrong’ with any of the tracks. All the songs are interesting, well produced and enjoyable to listen to. Yet, there’s one underlying problem with ‘The Lost Belongings’ EP. It all sounds like an act. It’s like Crook and Co have taken the best parts of similar bands like The Kooks, Babyshambles and Pulp and attempted to recreate the idea of what they think a Britpop indie band should sound like. This, unfortunately makes the EP feel contrived and at times, almost ridiculous.
However, this should not deter those who want to listen to four well made songs that do contain many interesting elements. With its mixture of quirky beats, cheeky chappy lyrics and uplifting melodies, ‘The Lost Belongings’ is surely worth a listen or two.