Boys, Girls And Marsupials - Wombats shine (The Wombats Proudly Present... A Guide To Love, Loss And Desperation - Wombats)

Member Name: AllyPally1991

Product:	The Wombats Proudly Present... A Guide To Love, Loss And Desperation - Wombats
Date:	03/08/08 (47 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliant Debut album

Disadvantages: Has a few songs that let the album down

The Wombats are a three piece band from Liverpool, consisting of Matthew Murphy, Dan Haggis and Torg Øverland-Knudsen. Their debut album, 'A Guide To Love, Loss & Desperation' was released late last year amongst massive hype after the release of the single 'Lets dance to Joy Division', and managed to match the commercial hype by receiving rave reviews and hitting number 11 in the UK album charts.

Okay, so that is the facts, but does the album really match up? Its been over a year since I first saw the wombats live now, and they have never failed to make me smile, so when I saw they were releasing an album, I was both enthusiastic and nervous. What if their fantastic sound didn't transfer well to CD? What if it was rubbish?

I needn't have worried. 'A Guide To Love, Loss and Desperation' is a pure pop classic, with the singles 'Backfired At The Disco' and 'Kill The Director' fitting in perfectly alongside the less well-known songs like 'My First Wedding'. Murph's voice fits in perfectly amongst the thrashing guitars and steady drums on the track, with every song causing an impromptu dance-along (in my flat, at least!).

TRACK LISTING (Plus personal Rating, 10 being perfect)
1 Tales of Girls, Boys and Marsupials (8/10)
2 Kill the Director (9/10)
3 Moving to New York (8/10)
4 Lost in the Post (6/10)
5 Party in a Forest (Where's Laura?) (7/10)
6 School Uniforms (7/10)
7 Here Comes the Anxiety (9/10)
8 Let's Dance to Joy Division (9/10)
9 Backfire at the Disco (9/10)
10 Little Miss Pipedream (7/10)
11 Dr. Suzanne Mattox PHD (8/10)
12 Patricia the Stripper (10/10)
13 My First Wedding (6/10)

The album starts on a high - a short harmonial piece to introduce the album, before Kill The Director kicks in. Kill The Director was the band's first full single, and helped create the hype surrounding the album. It's lyrics tell a story about a boy taking a girl to see a bad rom-com (The Holiday, for those who want to know). Although some of the lyrics are a bit dubious ('Carrots help us see much better in the dark' comes to mind) the chant at the end of 'This is no Bridget Jones) sounds fantastic, both on the record and live, and brings some mainstream credibility to the record.

The album then introduces "Moving To New York", an ironic tale of an insomniac who chooses to move to 'the city that never sleeps'. The guitars in this track really shine, and it was this song that originally brought interest to the band. It is easy to see why - the lyrics seem to tell a story, and the rhythm sounds brilliant.

"Lost In The Post" is one of the 'slower' tracks on the album, but still more pacy than many songs by other bands. The chorus seems to explode out of the relatively mellow verses, but I must say that I tend to skip over this song when I listen to the album - it is not weak, but there are definitely better songs on the album. The immediate next song, "Party In A Forest (Where's Laura?)" is in my opinion a better song in a similar style to "Lost In The Post" - another slow number, but with this song the lyrics seem more charming and the addition of extra voices (even just 'oooh'ing) helps prevent Murph's voice from sounding isolated in the relatively empty track.

"School Uniforms" is a track that appeals to a younger generation than the rest of the song. It is reminiscent of a McFly hit, but with sexual undertones, and I think that it has a different sound to the rest of the album. It does, however, have a chanting section at the end of the song in a similar manner to previous songs, which helps link it in a little. I think its a good song, but maybe not in the right album?

"Here Comes The Love Anxiety" is the token slow song on the album, but surprisingly manages to hold its own amongst the other faster songs with which its surrounded with by admitting at the beginning that there's "no hint of a smile or the usual quirky anecdote". The song is considerably darker, but still manages to appeal to the listener by never isolating itself, and with lyrics like "I don't wanna be alone with me" you feel real empathy for Murph (and possibly want to give him a hug).

The next song on the album is the song that really hit big. "Lets Dance To Joy Division" was an instant hit, not least because of its reference to one of the biggest bands ever. The song is both charming and addictive, and, for some reason beyond me, having a song with the word "dance" in the title seems to catapult any band into stardom (Arctic Monkeys - I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor and Black Kids - I'm Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance are other good examples.) Once again it has the one line repeated over and over at the end in the manner that all Wombats songs do, but it really does work well for them.

"Backfire At The Disco" is the tale of a night out gone wrong, which most people can identify with. The song is another one that is fantastic to dance to, and the contrast between the first verse and the second sounds amazing. The song has both wit and charm, and its impossible to ignore the catchy lyrics.

"Little Miss Pipedream" is an incredibly unusual song which you will either love or hate. However, love it or hate it, it gets in your head, and the jumpy sound of it is really relaxing and rhythmic. It is almost a slow song, and has a happy(ish) sound, even though the lyrics are emotive and heartfelt.

"Dr Susanne Maddox Phd." is quite a simplistic song, with a good beat and a strong set of lyrics. The song builds up in a manner similar to many other tracks on the album, and in my opinion, is worth a listen.

Then we come to what is, in my opinion, the creme de la creme of the album, Patricia The Stripper. The song is about, funnily enough, a stripper called Patricia who the singer is in love with. The intro to this track is unsurpassed, and then the entry of Murph's voice pushes this album to the top of the flock. The 'ooh's sound perfect, the lyrics are heartfelt and comedic, and the guitars and drum sound so fantastic on this track, and when it finally reaches its peak of "Patriiiiiiiiicia" its almost impossible not to sing along. The song is the epitome of good, darker Pop.

The ending of the album, after the highs of Patricia The Stripper, is rather disappointing. The final song of the album, "My First Wedding" is not a bad song, but fails to meet expectations after the brilliance of its predecessor. The song carries on for too long, and eventually loses all interest.

The album is a brilliant example of good pop, and is undoubtedly worth a listen if you like bands like Pigeon Detectives, Maximo Park, Los Campinescos and We Are Scientists. If you don't, then just listen to Patricia The Stripper on youtube. If that's your style, then give the album a go. It'll be worth it.

Summary: Bags of Potential