A perfect piece of pop rock. (Scouting For Girls - Scouting For Girls)

Member Name: dididave

Product:	Scouting For Girls - Scouting For Girls
Date:	04/05/09 (113 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Catchy chorus, silly lyrics, jaunty harmonies.

Disadvantages: No variety.

Scouting for Girls are a band that are almost impossible to dislike. Their jaunty pop-rock is infinitely playable and every single released seems to get endless radio airplay. Their self-titled album reflects this with eleven perfectly crafted pop songs that offer memorable chorus after memorable chorus.

This is a band that refuses to take themselves seriously and follows a grand tradition of musical revelry. The 80's gave us Madness, the 90's The Divine Comedy and this decade could well belong to Scouting for Girls. They certainly seem to have cornered the market with a combination of simple harmonies and silly lyrics with only the very different sound of "Alphabeat" offering any competition. Clearly this is a band that enjoys making music that everyone can enjoy and it is nice to see a band refuse to be drawn in by snobbery of the indie and metal music scene.

Of course, as a thirty something this album is perfect for me as it is a clear homage to everything eighties. Stand out tracks include "He-Man" inspired "Mountains of Navaho", "James Bond" and secret track "Michaela Strachan". The keyboard led music throughout the album is infectious and the guitars complement it perfectly with shades of "Del Amitri" about them. Fortunately, neither instrument drowns out the surprisingly strong and distinctive voice of Ray Stride which though rasping occasionally, is never gravely or irritating.

This is a band that have never grown up and this is reflected in their endless tales of love lost. However, don't expect balladry as their simply isn't any. The albums strength and weakness is in the relentless cheerfulness underlying their tales of woe. The closest they get to angst is needing a holiday and never copping off with Michaela Strachan!

Nonetheless, this is a great little album that delivers pop perfection. If you like their singles the album is more of the same. Variety is not on offer here and they are something of a one-trick pony. It is a good trick though!

N.B. "Michaela Strachan" is a secret track after track ten.

Summary: A great album.