Tuesday, July 11, 2006

The Sails

Hoo boy, there's enough glucose here to induce a diabetic coma.

The debut self-titled album from UK quintet The Sails is so thoroughly drizzled with gooey power pop confection that your teeth will positively ache by the end of it. But hey, we all love a good sugar buzz, and these folks deliver. We're talking gigantic hooks, singalong choruses, multi-tracked boy-girl harmonies, and chiming guitars. There are times when they venture dangerously close to Cowsills and Partridge Family territory, but for the most part they stay just this side of the bubble gum machine. More accurate touchpoints would be early '70s icons The Raspberries and Badfinger. If you're looking for a more modern counterpart, look no farther than the debut album from The La's.

"Cover me in chocolate" the most infectious tune here says, putting a new spin on dippy music. So pay no attention to the lyrics, and just bask in the gorgeous sweetness. It's best managed in small slices, but the album is only 36 minutes long, so you don't feel quite so guilty in the morning. I think this may be one of the best debuts I've heard this year. But I don't want to overdo it, and I should probably wait another week before I listen again.

1 comment:

amy paxton said...

There's toothpaste for that...