The Tumbledryer Babies - Wheat

Looking at this CD, I'm reminded of the kind of band who get together in sixth-form, get a solid four-K review in Kerrang, and split up a week later when the bassist's 15-year-old girlfriend gets pregnant. In case you care, it's because of their name; that silly picture of a cow on the cover; and the fact one of their songs is called 'WWF'. Of course, I'm dead wrong and The Tumbledryer Babies is some bedroom-bound lunatic from Southend.

First track 'Tell Me What to Do' has the first "shoop-shoop" backing vocals I've heard in ages and only now do I realise how much I've missed them. Also it references The Ramones song 'Rock'n'Roll Radio' and is totally pathetic in the most knowing, best way (actually it's just occurred to me that the whole song is about Phil Spector: creepy). The lyrics to 'WWF' are really hilarious: 'My love-life/ is like the WWF... Very little contact or flesh/ or broad necks or oiled biceps/ But alot of deceit'. Tell me that's not some kind of crazy genius right there.

'Beautiful Mental Patient' is a remake of 'Angel Baby' by Rosie and the Originals with a lot less content and more tongue-in-cheek devotion. It's kind of a laugh but, at just over a minute long, also kind of a lazy stopgap. The same could be said of 'Marty Feldman Eyes': great title, and a promising start to the song, but it degenerates into zany electronic squiggles rather than going anywhere proper. At 30 seconds long, 'If You See Her Give Her Hell' is, again, fairly smart but totally undeveloped and it's hard to see why it was included at all.

So unlike most bedroom musicians, this guy actually seems to be good at writing pop songs but, like most bedroom musicians, he probably needs to cut down on the weed and develop some kind of work ethic.