A coming of age:Ten Songs About Girls by Tender Trap

When it comes to writing about an album by such a personal legend and all round Indie hero Amelia Fletcher, it seems churlish to right the words ‘coming of age’. But this is exactly what the LP is. It’s the album Katrina, Amelia, Emily, John, and Rob having been threatening to make for years. It’s everything you want a Tender Trap album to be and so, so much more.

Remember when albums sat on your turntable for weeks and no matter how many times you played them they still sounded fresh and thrilling? This is one of those records. I thought it would be good, but bloody hell.

Opening with the thudding of a train hammering the tracks (sign of a classic that) the album oozes confidence and charm and, most importantly, instantly classic pop songs. Brian O’Shaugnessy’s production is as crisp as it is crunchy, giving the album an air of confidence that the tracks justify again and again.

The bold, bassy and breezy opener Train from King’s Cross Station does the impossible and makes skipping past the Pret-a-Manager and hopping on to the Inter City through Preston seem implausibly romantic, if romantically doomed. ‘The Train from King’s Cross Station/is coming into town/and there’s nothing I can do to make it turn around’ sings Amelia, and makes you think of lost love and how scary the end of the line can be.

The Edwyn Collins name checking MBV has a racing melody that tries to but never quite catches up with itself, while Could this be the last time? Is quite possibly the best ever song about love going wrong to dance to.

Lead single Step One though sounding uncannily like Step by Step by New Kids on the Block (my sister liked them m’lud) is a manifesto cum call to arms about forming a rock and roll band that’s as fun as it is fantastic. With a step by step (duh) guide to getting a group together, it should do for creating pop bands what Meat is Murder did for vegetarianism. Listen and learn kids, listen and learn.

The lyrics ‘There’s a party invitation stained with coffee and wine/the night your drunken eyes and lips first encountered mine’ kick off the gorgeously reflective sigh of a song that is Memorabilia but the shining stars of the album of the LP (to these ears anyway) are the frankly fucking brilliant Leaving Christmas day a song that finally, finally realises the potential shown on Dansette, Dansette. As wonderful as that LP was, this is whole new level. A song as equally at home at Indietracks as Top of the Pop’s, it’s quite possibly my favourite on the album. Just.

Challenging it though is the Beatles-y Love is hard enough. It’s Norwegian Wood-esque verse giving way to a melodic hook that could make Sir. Macca’s so envious his wig could catch fire. Seriously, I’ve had daydreams about bashing on a tambourine and belting out the end refrain with hundreds of people. But maybe that’s just me…

Ten Songs about Girls is an LP of no-messing-about classic pop songs. A mature, crush inducing, confident, and wonderfully executed LP that demands to played over and over again. An instant classic.

New Tender Trap Download Single

i would love to write more about this but i may just get sacked in the name of POP if i go on for too long(see post below) but you REALLY need to know that the fantastic tender trap have an absolutely free new download single which you can find here-http://www.fortunapop.com/tender_trap_free_download.php

not only that, you lucky skint popsters, they also play a FREE gig at jamm in brixton this thursday. happy days.

right, im off before 'the man' takes away my tea ration

Twee as Fuck all dayer. the victoria 11/07/09

smiles in an east end boozer, kids holding hands with luminous bracelets and chicks stamped on their hands. a grinning girl running around handing out sweets whilst wearing an Easter bonnet. no, its not Oasis at wembley but a twee as fuck all dayer.

now, i have to own up and say i cant be twee 'as fuck' as i didn't see the whole all dayer through. i was in London primarily to assist my wonderful girl friend in moving house. after a whole load of shifting and cleaning, she took me for a wonderful meal, after which i made her practically inhale a rather moreish Merlot so we could attend the gig post haste. shes an understanding lass that one.

we arrived just as veronica falls were ending their set. i cant tell you an awful lot about them to be honest, but they sounded wonderful whilst waiting to be served at the bar.

after a much slower intake of drink, we were in plenty time to catch the fantastic Bobby McGees. their rent-a-ghost via pirates of penzance performance art racket was a real hug of a set. their skewered sea shanties sounding perfect(despite missing their bassist who mysteriously 'couldn't make it')sounding heartingly fun in the E3 mid-evening. we were on their side when they were handing out luminous wristbands and sweets. we were friends by the time they were singing about gouging eyes and lonely twee romances. by the time they started to play the musical saw they had our hearts.
embarrassingly, my favourite bit of the set was when a young indie boy was absent mindedly stroking a balloon, lost in the reverie of 'please don't dump me', accidentaly burst it right in front of his face. the poor lad shot 8ft in the air and quite possibly soiled his brown corduroy trousers.

next up were slow club, who produced a pleasing boy-girl racket and showed off material from their forthcoming new album. judging by he sleeve(we should never judge by a cover of course),the record company are trying to sell them as a twee-er ting-tings. i hope this is not the case. their fringey,fey indiepop deserves to stand up on its own merit.
just as the northern banter of a distracted looking rebecca began to grate slightly, they charmed us all by going unplugged inches from the audience to perform a new b-side. great stuff.

"its hot but I'm not taking off my cardigan"amelia fletcher informs halfway through a sweaty tender trap set."this is twee as fuck after all" indeed it is.
with elizabeth darling joining the tender trap fold, they switch effortlessly between shimmery beat-pop with honey puff chorus's to to b-movie black quiffed monster bobby riffs. the sound was heavy but shandied though by the girl pop of amelia and elizabeth. by the time 'oh katrina' is
played, were in dizzy dancing heaven.

headlining over the absent 'secret' Comet Gain('ill' apparently)Days won over the rapidly diminishing crowd( it started pissing down and the chippy was shutting)crowd.
their smiths go postcard sigh pop jangle and melt away vocals were a perfect ending to a day humping boxes of pretty shoes.
"there's nothing more aesthetically correct in pop than a nice row of boys with guitars" opined my girlfriend. i nodded, noting to nick her quote. Days sent everyone who didn't stay for the northern soul(not THAT twee then)DJ'ing home with a happy soul and a head full of daydreams. perfect.


heres some great pictures by Contrave from the anorak board. thanks chris!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/manc_ill_k ... 179286235/