New Trouble in Mind signings The Love-Birds are a San Francisco band with a love for the best jangly pop acts of the ’70s and ’90s and their debut LP ‘In the Lover’s Corner’ follows a hugely popular EP and varipus shows in both DIY spaces and established venues around the Bay area. Recorded with Glenn Donaldson and Kelley Stoltz, the album was mastered by none other than Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake.
You’ll hear echoes of Norman’s band on the opening ‘Again’, but the vocals are full of the angst and power of Conor Oberst, while the following ‘Hit My Head’ is a melodic piece opening with the vivid question of ‘What’s this all about?’ The garage pop of ‘Angela’ follows this and this song comes complete with detuned guitars, passionate ‘ba, ba, bas’ and an enticing shout of ‘time stops’.
On ‘Clear the Air’, the band are in wistful mood admitting to ‘Looking back trying to retrace my steps, it’s a mess’ before pleading with someone to come back and again pondering a past mistake: ‘I wish I’d seen it first, but I walked on by’. The raw emotion will grab your ears and you’re sure to feel the pain – and it’s even more poignant on the timeless ‘Weak Riff’: ‘I think I’ll try to forget what I said and move on’; ‘Am I the one that keeps you up in the night?’
Hailing from California, you’ll be delighted to hear some sun-drenched and West Coast inspired guitars on ‘December (Get to You)’. This is a quirky song with DIY keyboard riffs, dual vocals and a melody you’ll be humming for days. ‘River Jordan’ combines the more upbeat moments from Jeffrey Lewis’ back catalog with the in-your-face attitude of The Lemonheads and will make you want to dance with glee, while the penultimate ‘Tommy’s Theme’ has a classic rock & roll feel. The closing ‘Failure and Disgrace’ is altogether more introspective with self-doubt running through: ‘I disappoint you every time. I can’t even say what’s on my mind’.
Full of short and sharp songs with appealing pop hooks, you’re going to love The Love-Birds. Come and join us in their Lover’s Corner.
