The Bordellos have released another album that may be prematurely unsung, but it will be, trust me. That’s not because it’s not good, but because it’s on a lable no one has heard of.

(You can reach the label at www​.northernstarrecords​.com)

The album starts with Velvet Mind, which owes a lot to, you guessed it Simple Minds (how apt!) and The Velvet Underground. It’s a pleasantly droning head-noise, that lasts around 4 minutes.

This is followed by Deadwood, not named for the foul mouthed Sky TV Western series, but could be a theme tune. Opens sounding like Won’t Get Fooled Again’s quiet mid section. Heavily reverbed vocals. The vocals get more and more messed, until it ends in a repetition of cartoony voices repeating “Stroke that pussy until it begins to purr”. No
comment. Has nice buzzy guitars on, as many “WE CAN DO POP!” songs by whiny Northern gits do.

The next track “Is Death The End” joins “Just Like Honey” by the JAMC, “IPC Sub Editors Control Our Youth” by Clinic, “You Are The Generation Who Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve” by Johnny Boy and “Some Candy Talking” by, erm, The JAMC again in the “ripping off Be My Baby club”.

It’s hard to beat Just Like Honey, and this doesn’t. It does beat the others though, in being a song like early REM produced by Moby. This is an endorsement, trust me.

“Arthur Lee” is a re recording of their last album. It’s better this time. It still sounds like Love, but this time ol’ Arthur ain’t coming to collect his publishing.

“Hurting Kind” is quite short, and goes from being a quite sparse, organ droning and guitar track to mad oompah bands sounding very much like Sparks.

“Poet Or A Liar” is a gem. It sounds like what it is, and make of that what you please. It sounds like Joy Division playing on 60’s Ready Steady Go clips.

“Girl With No Name” is a fake Spanish ode to some beauftiul Spanish girl, in reality a cheap old tart on her fire escape in the sky smoking her fingers by mistake. it sounds quite mauve.

Blank Letter starts out sounding like a tense, prog disco epic it should be, with two different duelling bass lines and click-pop drums. The vocals even seem quite tense, until the guitar comes in and starts playing “widdly widdly” bits everywhere. It comes back together when an organ is introduced, preferably onto the guitarists head.

“Plasticine Man” sounds very jaunty and has some nice stuff on it. There’s some reverby vocal effects and marimbas, nice sarcastic sounding guitars, but the overbearing attempt to make it a nice pop song ruin it. This band really are incredible live. This song also has good harmonies and everything. It’s nice but slightly too polished, like a puppy trapped in a block of decorational wood trying to get out.

“Too Old For Lovebites” is the highlight, no doubt. It has helicopter noises at the beginning and some nicely New Order bass. The vocals are whispery and Sumnerian. It even gets away with talking about sagging breasts without seeming giggly studenty. The vast amounts of chiming guitars and shoegazy stuff adds to the song. Tehe should do this more often. It sounds like Ride covering Procession, but really really well and with different lyrics and tune.

THe album ends with Gift Of Noise, a perverse ending. Jsut guitar and vocals. For once, the guitar, by the singer and not the now departed lead guitarist, does not make you want to yell “STOP BEING CLEVER”. It’s a nice choice, but after the enormous preceding track, it’s going out with a whimper, not an explosion.

It’s a good album though, and if you don’t buy it, I’d recommend ONLY buying records by strange looking beardy blokes (that AREN’T THIS RECORD).