Simon Felton "Failing In Biology"

So I guess Jeremy isn’t the only label exec that can play a tune? Pink Hedgehog Records’ owner Simon Felton has his own debt out now. No stranger to this, he’s also the bass player for the band Garfields Birthday. Simon is assisted by both Anton Barbeau and Alan Strawbridge (Lucky Bishops/Cheese) and that’s considerable pop muscle! The album sounds a bit like The Spongetones “lite”, especially the opener “Mister Magic Eyes” with it’s jangley pop guitar strumming. Some of the songs have a slight psychedelic touch like “Paisley Man” and it reminds me a bit of Gerry and The Pacemakers. Another highlight is the warm and fuzzy “The Latest Thing” which is a subtle dig at newer bands lack of success, done in a Beatlesque style. Another fun observation is the song “(It’s Not) Rocket Science,” which opens with the line: “In the time it takes to sing this song/You could probably write a better one.” The entire album was recorded in six days on a very tight budget. You wouldn’t notice this as the musicianship is excellent, but the hooks aren’t as strong as they could be here. The slower ballads “Wait And See” and “Goodbye” are a bit too placid to be memorable either.  Compared with Garfield’s Birthday, the album is admittedly lightweight. But for fans of jangle pop and soft AM radio classics you will find plenty to like here.