11

Aye, aye cap'n!

I'm beginning to wonder if I'm listening to the correct CD - sure the label and press release match up but the description accompanying Captain Polaroid's sophomore effort "Other Short Stories and Better Works of Fiction" mentions indie luminaries like The Smiths, Bright Eyes and Pavement. I've got the sound turned up on my laptop (expecting this to be one of those quiet, twee, sweet indie-pop records) but opener "Dust Will Settle on this Lifeless Town" is anything but. It's a cacophonous riot of electronic bleeps and agit-punk guitars. "When The Calendar Comes Down" is slightly less in your face, its mixture of fuzzy guitars and programmed beats recall a less angular version of the under-rated and late lamented Urusei Yatsura. Unfortunately this excellent opening is slightly sullied by the disappointing "Just Like You" which has bedroom composition written right through it. Thankfully "Complete The Sequence" gets things back on track quickly adding a welcome touch of variety to proceedings, its neat countrified guitar licks making good those early Pavement comparisons, it's certainly the kind of jagged gem a young Malkmus could have written.

At this stage the album begins to sound closer to what I'd envisaged from the beginning - "Wintertime Ending" features some neat folk-ish guitar a la Bright Eyes. "A Cure For Every Ailment" similarly strips back some of the layers of fuzz to reveal a deceptively sweet tune replete with jangly C86 era guitars and the Good Captain's doleful vocals which may not have the cracked intensity of Connor Oberst but are no less potent. "Better Works Of Fiction" is less pleasing however, and is a rather ham-fisted solo acoustic-guitar number that jars within the context of the album. Nothing can prepare me for "A Dream Is A Dream Is A Dream Is A Lie" though, it's the kind of sweet, fuzzy pop gem the Radio Dept. sling out for fun. It literally crackles with nervous energy, the vocals are edgy and rather paranoid elevating it to stand-out track staus. "Until Boxing Day" is similarly impressive but he best is saved for last though – "The Brightest Colour" may sound like it was recorded in a broom cupboard but it's one of the sweetest lo-fi sketches you'll hear all year and at only 1 minute and 6 seconds it certainly doesn't outstay its welcome.

Alas I've only got a promo copy of this most excellent album – the real thing comes with mp3's of Captain Polaroid's debut album "Spitting Facts, Splitting Fractions" and an additional ten previously unreleased demos. This R13 writer can recommend it with barely a hesitation.