Far from the Standard Fare

Really enjoyed this second album from British prickly pop band Standard Fare...reviewed yesterday at Blurt.

Standard Fare
Out of Sight, Out of Town
(Melodic)

This second outing from the Sheffield trio is just as bright and brash, just as cockily confessional as The Noyelle Beat, but a good deal better groomed. Singer Emma Kupa (sometimes spelled this way, sometimes as "Cooper") remains a distinctive element, her voice crackling with boisterous energy, as she confides life's triumphs and obstacles in the most detailed way. Yet this time, Danny Howe seems more of a presence, in the gleeful, ska-tinged guitar mayhem of "Half Sister" and "Suitcase," the blaring fuzz of "Kicking Puddles," and in the jaunty, poppy vocals of "Bad Temper." Maybe it's clearer production that shines a brighter spotlight on Howe's playing, as well as the rackety, continuous explosion drumming of bandmate Andy Beswick. In any case, this time the instruments seem less like a foil for Kupa, more like a cohesive element of the whole.

More

"Suitcase"