Get in touch with your inner child...
'Honey Bee EP' from "art rockers" My Federation (well in my experience, any band based in Brighton is usually as pretentious as a Prêt-A-Manger sandwich wrapped in a sarong so that moniker comes as no surprise) is short...very short. Anyone out there that hates electro-pop will think this can only be a good thing. I don't hate electro-pop; in fact, I downright love it. This time round however, I'm gonna have to agree with the hecklers and urge the record buying public to shun this amazing anthology of twaddle, switch off the TV set and do something less boring instead.
My Federation is a band all about exuberance, cheekiness and fun - I get it. That's why 'Honey Bee' is chock-full of clattering drums, fuzzy guitars, enthusiastic hand claps and simple, romantic lyrics that front man Lee 'Muddy' Baker belts out with a palpable sense of purpose. Now maybe I've turned into curmudgeonly old git, but it didn't pierce my wafer-thin t-shirt, let alone my soul and made me consider reappraising my critical opinion of Sinita.
'Don't Wanna Die' is similarly dire and not worth my (or your) time, while 'Open My Eyes' is probably the best of the four. Although quick, it's a more contemplative piece with a kick-ass chorus and psychedelic groove that keeps the head jerking and the feet tapping with admirable ease.
On paper the closer 'Wow' should be a great song; power chords, rattling drums, a bass line so jerky you'd think you were working on the top floor of the Twin Towers on a very bad day etc - but in the end it's a great big mess. It's twee, childish even, to the point of banality, (probably down to that ridiculous fucking flute) and what should be a great three-minute blast of cosy-pop-fun would probably fail to impress current devotees of Blue Peter. And the decision to stop the song halfway through just to shout "Wow" is a fucking stupid one. It would be a stroke of genius if it was meant to be ironic, but I for one don't reckon it was.
My Federation (that's a little too close to 'My Generation' for comfort') is a band that has got potential (just keep going down the 'Open My Eyes' route please), but based on the majority of 'Honey Bee EP', I reckon their record company should ditch the "art rockers" categorisation and opt for "Art Attack sound trackers" instead. Anyone got some sticky-back plastic? Lee 'Muddy' Baker might need some to try and fix his career.