Monday 09 March 2009
The nature of the boy least likely to
(photo: Myspace)
It’s been awhile, but the ‘Boys are back, saddled up and ready for more twee pop fun. The Boy Least Likely To have a new record, The Law of the Playground, the follow-up to their 2005 debut, The Best Party Ever. That first album collected some previously released singles and EPs, and as delightful and enchanting as it was, The Law of the Playground is an all-together more cohesive and effervescent affair than its predecessor.
“A Balloon on a Broken String” is just the antidote we need to all the maudlin talk of economic recession and money woes. That its followed by the equally inspirational “When Life Gives Me Lemons I Make Lemonade” confirms that The Boy Least Likely To are the band most likely to lift your spirits in 2009. As with their early singles and album, you have to wonder, “Are these guys having a go with us?” It’s easy to confuse their light and breezy songs as being indicative of their mood and personal outlook, but I think that, at the heart, The Boy Least Likely To make music that’s not necessarily “happy” but rather “innocent”.
Case in point, “The Boy With Two Hearts”. “I know I’m not much fun to be with/but you love me all the same,” sings Jof Owen, admitting that nothing and no one in life is perfect, but dwelling on the negative isn’t going to get us anywhere. “I sit around in my pajamas,” Owen says at the beginning of “Stringing Up Conkers”, “…and if I want to feel something/I’ll stick pencils up my nose/I just want to change the world in whatever little way I can.” We all can’t be Bonos and Obamas, so sometimes we just have to accept that our world is part of the world, so start with you and the rest will follow. Stop thinking of the big picture. God, after all, is in the details.
The Law of the Playground is full of just such details, and allows the listener to just let go of the outside world for awhile, visit an alternate world where its Christmas year round, and no one is (mentally) older than ten. A nice place to visit, but too bad you couldn’t live there year ’round. The album is out now in the UK, and (apparently) available for download on North American iTunes (although it’s not in the Canadian store yet). Insound is letting you pre-order it now on either vinyl (with a bonus digital download) or CD.
MP3: The Boy Least Likely To “Every Goliath Has Its David”
Facebook: The Boy Least Likely To
Myspace: The Boy Least Likely To
Download: The Boy Least Likely To The Law of the Playground
CD: The Boy Least Likely To The Law of the Playground
Vinyl: The Boy Least Likely To The Law of the Playground
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