New Young Pony Club, who play Manchester’s Mojo Live on Saturday 20th March as part of a tour of several Euopean countries, have just released their second album – the optimistically-titled ‘The Optimist’.
When you live in the middle of a recession in a United Kingdom whose Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have not spoken to each other in years; when you live in a United Kingdom whose once-proud Armed Forces are being anhihalated by bearded peasants who live in caves – you desperately want to like anything called ‘The Optimist’. You must believe me when I say that I tried so hard to like ‘The Optimist’ – but I don’t.
It’s not that there’s anything intrinsically wrong with the album itself – it’s an accumulation of the little things. Take the eponymous song ’The Optimist’ – it’s over five minutes long but the lead singer, Tabita Bulmer, turns up for work a minute and a half late. As Sir Tom Jones might say, It’s Not Unusual for songs to be over five minutes long – The Doors and The Beatles pioneered this over forty years ago so radio DJs could put on a tune and have enough time to have a pint, a pie and a poo. ‘The Optimist’, however, feels like it is over five minutes long because NYPC wanted to have a song in their stable which is over five minutes long.
I have a peculiar feeling about NYPC. This is a band who once said that they don’t make ‘radio friendly singles’ yet they allowed their 2007 single ‘Ice Cream’ be used in a 2009 Nissan TV ad in the States. Maybe NYPC need to figure out if they want to make money or music?
Release Date 08/03/2010 (The Numbers)
