SandmanReview

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Captain Wilberforce – Mindfilming

So, the weather's finally cheered up for all of about five minutes and the scramble is on to find that perfect family barbeque soundtrack. You've got the obvious choices: Pet Sounds, Innervisions, Supergrass et al (although probably not This Etal, unless you want to frighten the children), but if wistful summary pop is your bag then this could well be the choice for the more discerning host keen to show off their eclectic and impeccable taste.
Nothing revolutionary, but 10 beautifully constructed tracks of good honest pop music that sound both excitingly fresh, yet reassuringly familiar. Ahead by a good distance is the sublime A Very British Earthquake, an exercise in measured understatement injected with the odd unexpected chord sequence and a simple but inspired cascading piano riff that keeps your finger hovering around the repeat button long before its finished.
Much of the credit must go to main man Simon Bristol for the crafted arrangements and inherent ability to convert weaknesses into strengths. His voice is nothing spectacular, coming on a bit like Ian Broudie attempting an Eagles/Byrds crossover. However the resulting deadpan delivery works wonders delivering wry titles such as Singer Wanted, Preferably Dead and I Don’t Have Any Famous Friends, allowing the magic of the orchestration to add the pop sheen behind the sardonic front.
All in all, pop music that’ll work fabulously in the sun, but with a quality likely to endure considerably longer than the British summer. Not that that’s saying much, obviously.
Rob Paul Chapman