*** We've just taken delivery of 50 copies of the Milky Wimpshake 'Popshaped' album on vinyl, as released the awesome Bitter Like The Bean label in the states. Each sleeve is hand printed and, boy, do they look amazing. More amazingly, they're the same price as the cd. ***
Aahh..the mighty ‘Shake. For nearly ten years now this wonderful flop ‘ n roll band have lightened up my life with their tales of love, loss and dirty politics. ‘Popshaped’ is no different, thanks goodness. Pete Dale still sings about girls he’s never gonna get, the welfare state, and the little man fighting back. And all above the greatest indie pop music. This album is a collection of new songs and older stuff that never made it to record, or is dead difficult to get hold of these days. And how lovely of them is that? On with the show! ‘Pearshaped’ is the first classic you’ll come across here. A cover of a Nev Clay song and featuring fantastically sardonic vocals from Cath Tyler, it’s jangletastic in the extreme, AND manages to slag off Patsy Kensit, and that’s just about everything a great pop song should, don’t you think?
Elsewhere, there’s the psych-pop of ‘Don’t Get Down (Get Even)’ – a great big swirly, deftly threatening song about the masses taking the power back – YEAH! – and remind me a lot of songs of The Housemartins’ ‘ London 0 Hull 4’ album. And that’s high praise in my book, so there.
Meanwhile, back at pop central, ‘Needed: Heart Handbook’ is the song that the Shangri-Las never quite managed to record. But perhaps the greatest song here isn’t a Milky Wimpshake song at all. The medley – for want of a better phrase – of Daniel Johnston’s ‘True Love Will Find You In The End, and Jonathan Richman’s ‘Don’t Let Our Youth Go Waste’ is truly spine-tingling, and possibly embellishes even the brilliant original versions of both songs. For once, Milky Wimpshake play it totally straight – and with wonderful results. And it’s followed up by the desolate ‘Cheque Card’, in which Dale sound both angry and desperate at the same time. Utterly beautiful. For me, this is easily the best album of the month, and is up there with the Pipas album as the best this year has given us. And as long as Milky Wimpshake are still making records, then the world will be a more just place. Amen. (Tasty)