Experimental Pop Band - Tarmac And Flames
by Dixie Ernill
published: 18 / 2 / 2004
Label:
Cooking Vinyl
Format: CD
intro
Impressive indiepop from former Brilliant Corners' star Davey Woodward's latest group the Experimental Pop Band, which comes closes "to delivering the classic they have only previously hinted at"
Three years on from their last long player, 'The Tracksuit Trilogy', the Experimental Pop Band come close to delivering the classic they have only previously hinted at. Opening with the slow burning, but hauntingly excellent 'Retro Folk Suckers', the tempo soon gathers pace on the breezy 'Weekend', which is one part 'Stuck In The Middle With You' and one part social vignette on the joys of urban Saturday nights. The stomping 'Gothenburg' follows, out-Blurring vintage Blur, but better still is the cracking groover, 'The Hippies Don't Know', just crying out to be released as a single. Despite the great start, this album is a flawed gem, with the quality dipping for the pointless 'Mir' and the below-par 'Desert Me', a mish-mash of ideas that doesn't quite work on record, but sounds awesome live, with the guitar cranked-up. Normal service returns with the title track, a frothy slice of easy listening perfection laced with Davey Woodward's typically barbed lyrics. 'I Can't Stand It' is a sleazy electro-pop diamond and the fizzing 'Fantasy Studios' a quality instrumental that could have been written for Madonna. The trip-hop 'Rock Bizz' is a flash back to Woodward's vocal style on the Experimental Pop Band's debut album, 'Disgrotesque', but annoyingly catchy all the same, while 'Crow Ventura' conjures up images of the singer's childhood being exorcised on an analyst couch. Another lull in content brings the ordinary 'Older Now', which is saved only by its strong lyrics. The foot is back on the gas for the bizarre but charming piano-led 'Ski Machines' and the equally impressive, if much darker, 'Accident' -supposedly a true story, before this 15 tracker is brought to an end with the guitar-fuelled, dare I say classic "Cornersesque", '1000 Screaming Girls'. All told, perhaps 3 or 4 songs too heavy to be, even at this early stage, a genuine contender for album of 2004, but certainly the band's best effort so far. Indeed having heard one or two of the tracks lined up for future releases,I would say the masterpiece and recognition Woodward's 20-year affair with the music business deserves could be closer than we think!
Track Listing:-
1 Retro Folk Suckers2 Weekend
3 Gothenburg
4 The Hippies Don't Know
5 Mir
6 Desert Me
7 Tarmac & Flames
8 Can't Stand It
9 Fantasy Studios
10 Rock Bizz
11 Crow Ventura
12 Older Now
13 Ski Machines
14 Accident
15 1000 Screaming Girls
Band Links:-
https://www.facebook.com/The-Experimental-pop-band-177415815647664/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Experimental_Pop_Band
Label Links:-
http://cookingvinyl.com/https://twitter.com/cookingvinyl
https://www.youtube.com/user/cookingvinylrecords
https://instagram.com/cookingvinyl/
https://www.facebook.com/cookingvinylrecords
interviews |
|
Interview (2011) |
|
| Davey Woodward from the Experimental Pop Band speaks to Dixie Ernill about his group's appearance and his own solo set at the Pennyblackmusic Bands' Night in Manchester on November 19th and their forthcoming new album which is due out next year |
live reviews |
|
El Rincon, Bristol, 12/11/2012 |
|
| Dixie Ernill sees the Experimental Pop Band play an excellent set of indie pop in the tiny venue of the El Rincon in their native Bristol |
| 229 Venue, London, 29/3/2012 |
| Brooksbottom Cricket Club, Summerseat, Bury, 21/3/2009 |
| Summerseat, Bury, 19/5/2006 |
| Magnet Club, Berlin, 23/3/2004 |
features |
|
Summerseat, Bury, 20/3/2009 (2009) |
|
|
| Pennyblackmusic writer Dixie Ernill is putting on for the second time his own gig in Bury near Manchester with Bristol indiepop group, Experimental Pop Band. More details for what promises to be a truly great night can be found here |
soundcloud
reviews |
|
Vertigo (2012) |
|
| Stunning first album in five years from undervalued Bristol-based indie pop act, the Experimental Pop Band |
| Little Things (2012) |
most viewed articles
current edition
Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies - Sala Apolo, Barcelona, 29/11/2023 and La Paqui, Madrid, 30/11/2023Anthony Phillips - Interview
Difford and Tilbrook - Difford and Tilbrook
Rain Parade - Interview
Oldfield Youth Club - Interview
Autumn 1904 - Interview
Shaw's Trailer Park - Interview
Cafe No. 9, Sheffield and Grass Roots Venues - Comment
Pete Berwick - ‘Too Wild to Tame’: The story of the Boyzz:
Chris Hludzik - Vinyl Stories
most viewed reviews
current edition
Marika Hackman - Big SighSerious Sam Barrett - A Drop of the Morning Dew
Rod Stewart and Jools Holland - Swing Fever
Ian M Bailey - We Live in Strange Times
Loves - True Love: The Most of The Loves
Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the Run
Autumn 1904 - Tales of Innocence
Roberta Flack - Lost Takes
Banter - Heroes
Posey Hill - No Clear Place to Fall
related articles |
|
Davey Woodward: Interview (2020 |
|
| The Brilliant Corners and the Experimental Pop Band's Davey Woodward talks to Dixie Ernill about 'Love and Optimism', his second album under the moniker of Davey Woodward and The Winter Orphans. |
| Karen: Live Review (2016) |
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart