One minute your lifting CDs from one room to another at your job at Mushroom Records, the next your lifting melodies off Oasis’s ‘Songbird’ – itself a less than complex steal off a ‘Yoko’ period Lennon. And here, complete with poorly executed harmonica (‘executed’ being a reasonably accurate phrase) deliriously happy nasal vocal, clatter-bucket acoustic guitars and shuffling wash-board daftness is a bright, breezy and cheerful lo-fi rainbow of a tune.
Italian born songwriter Francesco Cinelli (vocals, guitar, harp) and Damian ‘Ron’ McElroy (guitar, ye of tired Stones-obsessed pseudonym drama) Jim Cartwright (drums) and Andrew Burke (bass) are the latest signing to the Ultimate Dilemma label and if you’ve the slightest fondness for The Thrills (it’s possible!) The ‘Stones’ or The Coral (that’s more like it) then it’s likely you may enjoy the jangling merry nonsense that is the ‘Baby You’re A Rich Girl’ single and the far superior b-side ‘Smile’ replete with Dylanesque drawl and oddly punctuated rhythm, which for all the derivativeness of the a-side manages to shine through just spanky.
A scruffy but winsome blend of bluegrass silliness and husky authenticity that’ll keep you smiling for at least an hour.