Spearmint
A Different Lifetime

If you miss albums like "Steve McQueen" by Prefab Sprout, the beautiful chords of Paddy McAloon, and ballads that all succeed in a single album, then listen to this CD. Never a misplaced chord, never a predictable melody line, everything is very beautiful, I have read about them: "they wouldn't be able to make a bad record even if they tried". I fully confirm.

I was on the train returning from work, it was a rainy day, serious problems, various nuisances, and these tracks in the mp3 player, let's say they lifted my spirits considerably, a little smile appeared on my face and with my eyes closed I continued until my station. We are only talking about high-quality pop, nothing transcendental, but good travel companions, that's all; the pieces are never too whiny; "Scottish Pop" really sounds like an '80s piece à la XTC, while the track that gives the album its title starts and continues with a beautiful melody with a backdrop of seagull cries that hint a bit at the cold of this period, atmosphere à la Ben Watt of "North Marine Drive", one of the most beautiful albums ever for me. Perhaps I'm exaggerating with these memories, it's not just a revival, I would take away from this band all the originality it seems to possess, all the energy that the emergence of a little smile in a difficult moment can highlight.

The four are Londoners, they formed in 1995, and this CD, their third after a long series of EPs, is from 2001. From an interview on their website: 3 words to describe yourself? Happy, relaxed and tense.