Boy Least Likely To - The Best Party Ever...
by Anthony Strutt
published: 6 / 10 / 2005

Label:
Too Young To Die
Format: CD
intro
Offbeat twee pop from Buckinghamshire group The Boy Least Likely To, who use toy instruments to record much of their material
The Boy Least Likely To are on record a two piece, consisting of Jof on vocals and Peter who plays all the instruments, but for gigs they stretch out to a seven piece. Jof and Peter have been friends since their school days. They grew up together in Wendover in Buckinghamshire, a place which they describe as a combination between Trumpton and Buffy Summers' Sunnydale. Their debut album, 'The Best Party Ever', opens up with 'Be Gentle With Me' which has an innocent air to it and is as sweet as summer sunshine and vanilla flavoured ice cream. It has a rough-edged vibe to it, and sounds like it is played on toy instruments, which, like a lot of this record, it in fact is. The band are big fans of these toys, and also of Dexy's Midnight Runners 7 inch singles and rare Lee Hazelwood vinyl LPs. 'Fur Soft as Fur' is mixture of Trumpton and the Beach Boys and is sweet as youth itself, when you liked girls but you wouldn't in a million years have kissed one. Yuck!!! 'Monsters', a song about Buffy style nightmares, is as wacky as Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd, but without, of course, the drugs. It does have an indie edge to it, but, due to the instrumentation involved, sounds a bit slack. 'Papercuts' has a weird keyboard sound to it and is as lovely as holding hands for the first time. 'Warm Panda Cola' has soft guitars, and, playful in tone, sounds like an early non-political Dylan. 'I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes' has a beat so gentle that it makes Belle and Sebastian seem like Black Sabbath, while 'I'm Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon to Your Star' is more upbeat and has a sing-a-long chorus. 'The Battle of the Boy Least Likely To' is the tweeiest song of all time, Ah, it's so cute, but you can't help but admire this band for being so damned different. 'Sleeping with a Gun Under My Pillow' again recalls early Pink Floyd. It has country style guitars, real ones, and real drums too. It sounds something like the wacky Bonzo Dog Do Da Band before a mouth organ takes it in to Dylan country. Recent single 'Hugging My Grudge' is beautifully played, and recalls 'Everybody's Talkin', Harry Nilsson's theme song for 'Midnight Cowboy.' 'My Tiger, My Heart' is a strummed number with a folk edge while the closer 'God Takes Care of the Little Things' is very short and sounds like a child's version of Blur, A stunning album of pure and original ideas then which is also something of a shock...
Track Listing:-
1 Be Gentle With Me2 Fur Soft As Fur
3 Monsters
4 Paper Cuts
5 Warm Panda Cola
6 I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes
7 I'm Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon To Your Star
8 The Battle Of The Boy Least Likely To
9 Sleeping With A Gun Under My Pillow
10 Hugging My Grudge
11 My Tiger My Heart
12 God Takes Care Of The Little Things
reviews |
Little Donkey (2005) |
![]() |
Twee one track single from the Boy Most Likely To played on toy instruments and given away free at Christmas time in Rough Trade shops |
most viewed articles
current edition
Peter Doherty - Blackheath Halls, Blackheath and Palace Halls, Watford, 18/3/2025 and 21/3/2025Yardbirds - Interview with Jim McCarty
Johnny Cash - Video Vault
Max Bianco and the BlueHearts - Troubadour, London, 29/3/2025
John Philip Shenale - Interview
Deb Googe and Cara Tivey - Interview
Armory Show - Interview with Richard Jobson
Man From Delmonte - Interview
Loft - Interview
Vapors - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Bryan Ferry and Amelia Barrett - Loose TalkIvor Game - When Will You Fall Into My Loving Arms?
Gabriel Moreno - Nights in the Belly of Bohemia
Doris Brendel and Lee Dunham - Big Blue Sky
Brooke Combe - Dancing at the Edge of the World
Shaw's Trailer Park - I Thought I Saw You
Bryan Adams - Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2024
Ringo Starr - Look Up
FKA twigs - Eusexua
Leon Bridges - Leon
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