Various
Artists
The kids at the club - an indiepop compilation
Is
your life mapped out by Smiths songs? Is melancholy your muse?
Do you think Belle and Sebastian are the best band in Britain?
If so, the popular How Does It Feel To Be Loved? club-night and,
this, their new record-labels first release are for you? The Kids
at the club collects various ‘indiepop’ acts from
around the world who owe more than a small debt to Manchester’s
most miserable sons, and peddle a particular brand of twee, guitar
pop. For some this sound is the pure bones of pop to others it
is too lo-fi and sugary-sweet to stomach.
This is a well-considered portrait of the ‘indiepop’
underground, which is to be expected from one of the scenes premiere
club nights. The heart-felt sleeve notes highlight this release
as a labour of love with each of the bands included having played
some part in the club-night, the ‘scene’ and now as
an extension, the record label - HDIF are releasing records they
love, by bands they adore because they feel it is the right thing
to do.
And there is much to love on the compilation - Voxtrot’s
joyous take on the Smiths aesthetic, I’m From Barcelona’s
Hidden- Cameras-meets-Polyphonic-Spree pop explosion and Lucky
Souls gloriously retro Spectoresque girl-pop are highlights. Tender
Trap (featuring ex-Tallulah Gosh member Amelia Fletcher) brilliantly
represent the old-guard and America’s best ‘indiepop’
act Saturday Looks Good to Me keep the standards high.
At times this collection sounds repetitive mediocre, and more
like a fans-only collection but you will be hard-pressed to find
a better snap-shot of a vital part of the indie landscape.
by Joe Fisher
