(DEMO)
The city of Hull truly is a hotbed for strikingly original musical talent.
What with the lo-fi rock 'n' roll experimental theatrics of The Edible 5ft Smiths, the quirky lo-fi tenderness of Fonda 500 and the twee Salako, the Alternative indie-pop heroes in Kid Samson and the sensational acoustic-based songwriting beauty of Emma Rugg, Hull has many bands and solo singer-songwriters to be rightfully proud of.
The Last People On Earth whole-heartedly support such an exciting trend for wicked music, fronted by singer-songwriter and bassist Mr PJ Tobin.
Having played surefire crowd-pleasing gigs at Hull's legendary 'Adelphi' venue and having been championed by local BBC radio ga-ga, this 9-track album is perfect evidence that this band are indeed so eclectic these guys are in fact 'music personified.'
Boldly tinkering with the verve of Beck and widescreen ambitions of flamboyant artists such as Hawksley Workman, the styles of music vary greatly throughout this debut release: from Let It Fly's grooviness to 'Crow,' and its Jeff Buckley-esque mysticism.
The highlight has to be the mid-LP turn of 'Robots' that is lo-fi genius in every respect, the finger-picked guitar playing and backing sample of phone voicemails creating an extraordinarily textured gem of a sweet song that's topped nicely by Tobin's vocals.
Most of the tracks were recorded, allegedly, at open mike sessions, and while both 'Broadway' & 'It Can Happen To You' are so charmingly cool you could be mistaken for thinking that the Fun Loving Criminals may have recorded them (which they obviously didn't� all 9 tracks are these guys' work through and through'), these Last People on Earth are playing out their compelling days right in the heart of East Yorkshire. Which is quite possibly the epicenter of the future of quality music en masse.
8/10 (Steve Rudd)
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