Great New Talent
Proud to have been involved early on with the development of bands like The Long Blondes, The Violets and The Boyfriends, Filthy Little Angels are bringing us season two of their Singles Club.
Three years later and the emerging talent takes various forms, kicking off with the twee electro of Shisho including the kindergarten sing a-long, 'Courtney Sat On A Rock' with its candy cute melody and lyrics of, "Courtney sat on a rock and she smiled and she smiled, Courtney got bit on the butt and she cried and she cried". It may be simple, but its bright beats mirror the cheerful and blissfully simple premise of the singles club - 5 brightly coloured 7-inch singles that are sure to cheer up your record player. 'Rocks And Penalties', Shisho's second track is so daft that it makes you laugh out loud, two young children talk about The Smiths and unicorns eating rainbows, it's just barmy genius! Hyperbubble's bouncy electro with a sexy edge is a marked change from the pop purity of Shisho, but equally as endearing, although in 3 tracks it's hard to be blown away when there are so many other synth beat-orientated groups out there are the moment.
EP 2 features The Vichy Government, a group who should grace every festival to give you your immoral kicks. Verbose lyricism spread over kitsch keyboard melodies, this is another band to put a smile on your face, "A taste of honey is not as good as a lifetime supply", muses Jamie Manner in a typically witty new chunk of advice. Gay Against You's electo fuzz creations are a good match, calming you down after the inevitable outrage at half of The Vichy Government's sentiments, their 4 short tracks are chirpy and recall an orchestra of casio keyboards chatting, whizzing and whirring away.
Captain Polaroid start their 3 track feature as they mean to go on, with bright upbeat guitars chugging away in candid and colourful pop songs, such as opener, 'When The Calendar Comes Down'. 'This Is Part One' pauses for a moment in a thoughtful acoustic tune that ponders over the idea of a money tree. Beacons are a fine match, their flavoursome acoustic indie kicking off where Captain Polaroid left off but once again launching the electro twee agenda back into play.
'Groupies' from The Fairies Band is the first full-on slice of rock we get and it's an unashamed brazen rock n'roll tune with lyrics like, "We are groupies and we love to blow", "We only formed this band for a chance to catch your eye, we are gonna kiss the boys and then we'll make them cry". Its partner, 'Random Boys' is another guitar-led number full of razorsharp riffs, it's a massive change from the electro fodder of th earlier EPs, but a welcome one. Fellow girl band The Peeptoes from Hamburg tag along on the 4th EP, adding a more melodic but equally convincing sound, rather like a more groove-laden Blondie. The only thing sweet about this band is the cake recipe at the end of, 'Eat This', expect yelping female fronted fuzzy rock.
The Art Goblins are fronted by Art Brut's Eddie Argos and make a mellow cacophony in the delightful, "Fuck The MSP" with its unnecessary cry of, "Nicky Wire can suck my cock", to be honest it sounds like a gang of howling monkeys and isn't their finest moment. Yellow was always a gawdy colour and the first half of the 6th EP - the yellow - is a shambles matching the sickening colour. Billy Ruffian thankfully leave us with a high note with their rumbling basslines and smart vocals, 'Music Versus Money' for example features a dialogue with a music promoter. 'Whipping Boy' closes the selection of EP with a growl and snarl.
Filthy Little Angels clearly have an accurate radar for great music with consistent pairs of interesting artists in a variety of genres for all your different moods and needs.