The continuing persistence of the Wales-based Hepburns and its leader Matt Jones over 20 years' time is its own story of sticking to one's guns, but it's only appropriate that the album released at the time of its first American tour ranks as one of its best. Something Worth Stealing -- a brisk 12 songs in under half-an-hour's time -- is a quietly sparkling example of the kind of U.K.-based guitar pop that resists all trends to pursue its own muse, the more so because it incorporates so many different sources to create its ...
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The continuing persistence of the Wales-based Hepburns and its leader Matt Jones over 20 years' time is its own story of sticking to one's guns, but it's only appropriate that the album released at the time of its first American tour ranks as one of its best. Something Worth Stealing -- a brisk 12 songs in under half-an-hour's time -- is a quietly sparkling example of the kind of U.K.-based guitar pop that resists all trends to pursue its own muse, the more so because it incorporates so many different sources to create its own fusion. Thus the opening number "The Last Thing I Saw Before I Said Goodbye" counterbalances gentle distortion with vibes and a breezy '60s bossa nova pop feeling, while both spry second wave ska and a bit of Middle Eastern orchestration helps to define "Heavyweight Bohemians." Jones' voice remains the seemingly effortlessly sunny sounding (even when the lyrics are, as they often are, considered and reflective) instrument it is, well suited for the songs whether calm and slow or high-speed and energetic. An eternal spirit of el Records' arch art pop and understated affective whimsy (perhaps best showcased on the spoken word "During British Winters" and "Song for Velma," honoring one of Scooby-Doo's companions) infuses the whole disc, rightfully so -- when there's a John Barry-tinged suave spy number called "Geoff's Cape," with accompanying liner notes detailing the minor British sports legend the song refers to, somehow everything feels just right. ~ Ned Raggett, Rovi
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Add this copy of Something Worth Stealing to cart. $16.95, new condition, Sold by Radio Khartoum, ships from Berkeley, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Radio Khartoum: khz107.
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Seller's Description:
New in new packaging. 2007 Pearly guitar pop in the finest UK tradition, albeit skewed sideways by cinematic caprices and elliptical narrative. Probably the Hepburns' lightest album, "Something Worth Stealing" was written as a romantic fling with no skeletons in the closet...well, unusually few skeletons by Hepburns standards, discounting the up-tempo duet with the dead guy who comes back to woo a former lover, the ghostly coal mine choir in the jazzy shadows on the ditty about the strongman's cape, and, perhaps, the ode to Scooby-Doo's Velma. This album is more a celebration of joyrides, spring storms, dinosaur incisors, winter fashions, boho wannabes, humdrum and conundrum, the occasional poisoned dart, and the use of the word "penultimate." SWS showcases the blossoming of the Hepburns' association with White & White (brass and flute, respectively) which started halfway through the sessions for the last album. In addition to the Hepburns' trademark organ and vibraphone riff-laden, jazz-and ska-tinged jangle, topped with words that could have only been penned by Matt "all Welshmen are Liars" Jones, the new album features the song everyone has been waiting to hear since the last album: "The Last Thing I Saw Before I Said Goodbye." File under fiction. For fans of: el Records, The Lucksmiths, The Monochrome Set, The Smiths, The Specials, Momus and Jake Thackray.
