Power pop with no frills.
Getting straight down to the straight and narrow, The Little Ones are really a gem, waiting to be unwrapped and devoured by this island of ours. For a sound that might be the norm in the sunny avenues of L.A. and their brother hometowns, it is something still vigorously in tune and in demand within the UK underground scene.
This sumptuous bite of a clearly hard working band is consistently nice and a pleasure and will surely please even the most sensitive of indie ears. From the infectious rhythms of 'Ring the Bells', the driven, romantic edge of follow up 'Lovers Who Uncover', the somewhat Hawaiian feel of 'Cha Cha Cha' and 'High On A Hill', with its body bloated with catch upon catch; they will all help in their own special way to win you over. Okay, this genre is treading a thin line and is already beginning to shed the unwanted thousands of acts as The Industry shifts its interest to the Emo kids and the new wave bohemia... we will all soon wake up from these highly stylised trends and reaffirm a fond love for those that offered music and nothing more. The Little Ones have faces and, sure, they wear clothes to conceal their Little Bits, but their music is what counts and oh how it shines!
Take amazingly straight edged 'Face the Facts'. It's just another jutty, delicious slice of chanting, singing, repetitive paradise that crops up when your mind is almost prepared for that mid point comedown that other acts have made you believe is the artistic norm for an album. Perhaps this tune isn't perfect, for example missing an opportune moment to slip in the most agreeable and obvious of harmonies in the chorus (can you hear it? Well, can you?). But overall there is an innocent greatness in their material that will surely mean quick entry into the airwaves.
In the ways that a brilliant act should, it will leave critics unsure on what to say. It doesn't make good publicity for reviewers to be short and generally at a loss, however it sure does prove that The Little Ones have that certain something that is indescribable. The transition of putting music into words is a dangerous thing, and with this band the dangers are all too evident. What is there really to say about a band's music that is just plain good?
If you really need it put so crudely, fans of Modest Mouse, Pixies, Stephen Malkmus, Turin Brakes et cetera wouldn't do wrong to investigate this lot...
Take care, my dear Little Ones. And then you shall grow and grow and grow.