Customer Reviews

Down at Hop

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Since 1985 BMX Bandits have found fame for having key members of many Scottish bands pass through their ranks including Teenage Fanclub, Future Pilot aka, Belle & Sebastian and Eugene Kelly (Eugenius/The Vaselines) but they should be given attention more for their own melodious but quirky pop. Down at the Hop is not only a welcome return, it could be their best set yet. There are musical references here to The Beach Boys, Todd Rundgren and Serge Gainsbourg but the stamp of chief Bandits Duglas and Francis' individual personalities is most evident.
This album will make you laugh with Miss Nude Black America and Little Kitty then cry with Silly Boy and The End of Time. Other highlights are the moving and ironically life affirming Death & Destruction and slice of pure power pop The Road of Love is Paved with Banana Skins.

Pick a band -- any band -- that's come out of Glasgow in the last twenty years, and chances are they have some connection to the long-lived and little-known BMX Bandits. Scotland's beloved Bandits are back, and as adorable as ever, with plenty of bouncy, Beach Boys/Phil Spector/girl group-tinged pop riffs and naifish lyrics that stand up for the Grand Dork inside us all. Duglas Stewart, Glasgow's answer to Jonathan Richman, handles the lead vocals, but this time around, drummer Francis Macdonald comes to the fore as the band's principal songwriter, as well as lead xylophonist, guitarist and producer. The '60s pop vibe is borne out on song after song, some goofy and notional, and others, like "Back In Your Arms," that are irresistibly catchy. A fun album...! Longtime fans won't be disappointed; newcomers should be charmed.

Released in 2003 and just bought on e-bay for cheap, what a find! Mellower than their prior releases but just as stellar, Frank takes the helm of most of the songwriting and mainly bouncy acoustic driven numbers with all the usual cohorts from Teenage Fanclub to assist. Were/our they the most underated band since the Kinks? Problaby, so the general public can listen to the awful bloated sounds of U2 & Radiohead and I'll sheepishly keep my stash of BMX Bandits close to my vest.
Great job, boys!
P.S - Stay away from 'my chain' it just doesn't work without Frank....