Radio Luxembourg

If, like me, you enjoy wiling away an hour or two watching Cartoon Network, then Welsh underground pop heroes Radio Luxembourg will appeal like the profound kicks of an old Pink Panther re-run. In fact lots of my favourite music these days seems to have that innocent allure, like a new pop underbelly bravely defying industry cred. In an age of Razorlight and Kubicheck! it's a fucking heroic ethos. "I just wanna move I don't care what the song's about," said The Pipettes in ‘Pull Shapes’, but of course it's not quite so literal and nihilistic as that. From the Diwrnod efo'r Anifeiliaid EP, ‘Mostyn a Diego’ parps and shimmers with the poignancy of Peanuts characters frolicking in a park, swirling in beatific melody and coming back at you for more and more, a fantastic slice of light in a world of dark lords and gloom, while ‘Eli Haul’, a nugget on the practicalities of sun cream, and the title track, about “the immorality of zoos”, teem with similarly crazy quirks and random creativity. The trickling piano ode of 'Merch sydd yn fy mhoced' even sounds like it’s come from the hand of Gorky's Euros Childs, who has production credits. Going back through Melys, The Super Furries and Gorkys, Wales has always thrown up amazing lo-fi pop bands, and Luxembourg are another of the fine legacy. NJ

© Miwsig