Saturday, March 05, 2005

Hooray For Tuesday by The Minders

One of my favourite radio shows is the 60s program on Radio 2. I got into listening to it while taking my son to a class on Saturday mornings. I'm not a great fan of the 60's but this is a serious show that plays so many obscure hits and it takes you through all the Mersey beat scene and even plays Nick Drake and the heavier bands towards the end of the decade. I've heard some brilliant things that would even now be regarded as strange and radical.

The Minders (Martin Leaper british ex-pat) are undoubtably 60's revivalists and play pop songs with plenty of jangly guitar and lush harmonies. But their updating of the music produces a strangely anodyne effect - very pleasant but lacking in the edge and experimentation that much 60s music had. Artists who now sound very dated were at the time doing something new and exciting (there is a newness and naivety even in songs by Simon Dupree or the Ryan Brothers). That's where The Minders fail for me, however well constructed the music is (and it is very well done espacially on songs like I've been waiting) it just lacks any risk.

The Minders website

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