Search - The Boy Least Likely To :: The Best Party Ever

Best party... ever!

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 02/11/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Boy Least Likely To really lends itself to silly puns, like "The boy least likely to disappoint you." Okay, I'm not going to make any.



But in fact, this British tweepop band ISN'T going to disappoint listeners. Their debut album "The Best Party Ever" is full of charming, kooky indiepop, which sounds a little like the Apples in Stereo trying out a twinkly country sound. I mean, who doesn't want to listen to a xylophone song called "I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes"?



It opens with xylophone and banjo, right before Jof Owen starts murmuring, "Staring up into the solar system/All the stars are fixed up in the sky./I just want to sparkle for a moment/Before I just fizzle out and die." The song alternately twinkles and stomps, as Owen sings about spiders, broken hearts, and peaches from a cherry tree.



They follow it up with a series of catchy little songs: the unpredictable electro ballads with handclaps, catchy country-folk laced with keyboard, swoopy little pop songs, bouncy guitar melodies, little plastic flutes, mellow acoustic balladry, and shimmering electro-folk about "chasing rainbows/staring out of classroom windows..."



I have a soft spot for little bands that create solid tweepop, and "The Best Party Ever" is a good example of the genre. They do misfire slightly on one song -- "Sleeping With A Gun Under My Pillow" is brilliant, but it has those drunken twangs sometimes. But it's one small spot on a great song, on an album full of adorable music.



The music itself is a heavy dose of solid acoustic guitar, playing some solid little catchy tunes, and heavily smothered in some pleasant ripples of keyboard and mellotron. But the music is also made sort of childlike and upbeat -- multi-instrumentalist Pete Hobbs also sprinkles in xylophone, harmonica, kazoo, flute, bells and who knows what else.



Owen takes care of the lyrical aspects of the songs -- his voice is very mellow and sweet, tripping along with the music. And his lyrics are adorable -- fruit trees, stars, warm panda cola, "monster" adults from a child's perspective, and falling in love in a way that changes you for the better. And moments of poignant brilliance ("If I looked all over/Different winter would the/Snowstorm fall as beautiful").



"The Best Party Ever" has some rough spots, but The Boy Least Likely To makes a brilliant debut that only promises more good stuff in the future. The boys least likely to.... did."