| the owsley sunshine look to the merry-go-sun |
| glasgow's kings of psychedelic power pop |
| Not ones to follow the current trend for garage rock, The Owsley Sunshine are offering us an alternative. Much more than yet another Strokes tribute band, The Owsley Sunshine produce something closer to the 60�s tinged guitar pop of The Sights. With The Move and The Beatles cited as influences, as is evident in �Look To The Merry-Go-Sun�, The Owsley Sunshine produce quirky pop in the best possible way - with style and humour. Opening track �Dr Donaldson�s Charity Bandstand� embodies everything EWO loves about this record. From the outset the vocals from the creative core of The Owsley Sunshine, Joe Kane and Nic Denholm are charismatic and captivating, contrasting yet complementing one another. As with the superb �Dutch Hardcore�, TOS never produce a straightforward pop song. With many twists and turns things are never predictable, which is one the most endearing qualities. What begins as a somewhat shady tale of �Crawlin� round the string of pearls/Flash cars and cheap hotels�, �Dutch Hardcore� unexpectantly takes a turn, to regret, �I wish I�d stayed/And just behaved myself� and beautiful harmonies accompanied by Denholm�s driving organ. Things get slightly bizarre with track 8. An anagram of �Love Me Do�, nod to one of Owsley�s key influences and live favourite, �Vole Dome� gives us an insight to the surreal working of their minds. With the help of narration from Dead Fly Buchowski�s Roddy, we�re treated to stories of �old vole rumple� and his vole community. An up-tempo journey through musical history, beginning with a modern take on piano based rock �n� roll, �God On The Run� morphs into 19th century France before crashing in with a 60�s-eqsue psych guitar solo, climaxing with dizzying flashes of sound. On listening to tracks from this accomplished debut album you realise The Owsley Sunshine pack more ideas into one short song than many bands put into an album. �Look To The Merry-Go-Sun� isn�t just drug induced craziness, there are some lovely moments of melodic pop wonderment, most notably in the form of the heart rendering �The Words/The Merry-Go-Sun�. Just as you think the fun is all over, we�re spoilt with the �B-Album�. Some people may question the relevance of this �album�, on the surface it may appear to be some odd scraps left in a pile on the studio floor, but it�s oh so much more than that. More hilarious displays of the bands wacky sense of humour, ousting a local 24hour shop's secret hardcore porn stash, this tremendous bonus also has some little gems hidden away. At roughly 27 minutes into track 10, after various amended adverts and comical out-takes, there�s a beautiful demo of a track tipped for The Owsley Sunshine�s second album, �Morning Brings My Train�, reminiscent of Mersybeat superstars Jerry and the Pacemakers. If you buy this album, and don�t enjoy it, I�ll eat my hat. A must have, and a bargain at only �5. Buy the album direct from Start-A-Riot Records, or preview 3 tracks here, with credit card ordering expected to be up within the next week. |
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| 1. Dr Donaldson's Charity Bandstand 2. (Are) These The Times (?) 3. Pay Yer Dues 4. Socket In My Pocket 5. Dutch Hardcore 6. Interlude 7. Vole Dome 8. What I've Said 9. God On The Run 10. The Words/The Merry-Go-Sun |
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