Hey! Hey! Hey!
The download revolution ™ seems to be giving record labels carte blanche to reissue anything they damn well like at the minute, all in the name of technology. Sifting through the detritus of my towering pile of review CD's (yes I am 1x slacker) it appears as though one such release has slipped through the net and into my hands. It's "What A Beautiful Day" by love 'em / hate 'em crusty punks (of a fashion) The Levellers. Yours truly is old enough to remember the first time this one came out and a quick bit of Googling tells me that the year in question was 1997. "Ye gods! That's 10 years ago, surely it's time for a re-appraisal" yells some bored A & R man / band member / record industry flunky (delete as appropriate).
On this occasion we'll forgive them because this really is a corking tune (please don't let the cool kids read this, please don't let the cool kids read this, PLEASE DO NOT LET THE COOL KIDS READ THIS). Jaunty guitars and the most awesome fiddle playing you'll (possibly) ever hear dance around the punchy rhythm section and the chorus is one magnificent hook you won't forget in a hurry. A ridiculously optimistic anthem like this might be just what we need to kick off the summer. As for yours truly - I'm going into hiding now as TEAM COOL will be withdrawing my privileges and impounding my deluxe edition of the new Interpol record. Who said being a cheeky blighter of a music journo was an easy life?