Favours For Sailors and Copy Haho.

Favours For Sailors- Furious Sons.

It's rare that a record so rich and deep in melody like Favours For Sailors debut EP comes along that when one does you lose yourself in it completely. 'Furious Sons' is a delightful introduction to a band clearly indebted to college rock, power pop and all things sunshine. Far from being a twee jingle compilation though FFS have a grit and steel to them that backs up the shining grins and bright dispositions. 'Erode My Empire' for example displays driving guitar riffs and big percussion in amongst the sing along choruses whilst 'Shy Times' sounds like a more fleshed out version of a complex Hot Club De Paris tune. However when ..Sailors bring their A-game it is a sound to behold, 'I Dreamt That You Loved Me In Your Dreams' could easily be a lost Beach Boys classic full of surf hooks and nocturnal love. A band so heavily influenced by a small number of acts could easily become hamstrung but if Favours For Sailors carry this momentum into their full length effort it will be a Summer time fixture alongside BBQ's and Hawaiian shirts.

8/10


Copy Haho- Bred For Skills & Magic

Naming your EP after a line from Napoleon Dynamite is always a good way to catch the attention of geeks up and down the country (aka the people who buy debut EP's from small Scottish indie bands). Copy Haho however have a lot more to offer the world than liger references. Their five track effort is an energetic and sprightly introduction that will file itself nicely next to the likes of Los Campesinos and their merry band of musical followers. Things get off to a great start with 'Pulling Push Ups', a hi-hat heavy sugar rush smothered with singer Joe Hearty's richly Scotch vocals. 'This Retro Decade' carries on in a similar early Maccabees/ Good Shoes style but Copy Haho are far from a one trick pony. 'Cutting Out The Bad' is a stop-start, jerky ballad with military drums and the sound of a thousand ideas exploding in the background, 'Bad Blood' encompasses Lesiure era Blur amidst rousing vocal harmonies and 'The Last Dash' is a fast paced stomp that gives way at the mid-point for a delightful acoustic section. It might only be five tracks long but 'Bred For Skills & Magic' is a confident start from a very promising band indeed.

7/10

Favours For Sailors and Copy Haho.