Garfield’s Birthday were formed in Weymouth, on the south coast of England in 1995 at the height of Brit-pop, they started where they built a loyal fanbase and developed their songs, before releasing their debut album in 2008. “Typically Stereo” documents twenty-five years of music making and great times including a gig at the legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool.
It was great to hear from GB mastermind Simon Felton and for the opportunity to listen again, having reviewed their albums first time around. So many songs about relationships and such, mostly within the range of 2.5 and 3 minutes wouldn’t normally be my thing, but there was something irresistible about this particular brand of ‘power-pop’. I was particularly drawn to the middle section of the 27 tracks on offer here, probably because most of them come from what I consider to be Simon’s best album “Let Them Eat Cake” from 2008. There is the song about the guy who lost his credit card limit, ‘The Bastion of Teenage’, the featured track ‘Mr Newton’ (and for good reason), the psychedelically tinged ‘Molly’s Eyes’ and the exhilarating beat of ‘Sugar Pop’; also ‘Cambridge’, the autobiographical ballad of perfect day back when we had summers! A couple of these have alternative mixes and there are also some unreleased songs making this a comprehensive compendium of music that takes you back nostalgically to a time when everything seemed so innocent and uncomplicated.
Comments