The Popguns - Sugar Kisses

Die erste Vorladung (IV)

Personalien:

Die aus Brighton stammenden The Popguns bestehen aktuell aus Wendy Pickles (Gesang), Simon Pickles (Gitarre), Greg Dixon (Gitarre), Pat Walkington (Bass), Tony Bryant (Schlagzeug) und Kate Mander (Gesang). Dass vier weitere Musiker unter „ehemalige Mitglieder“ gelistet werden können, ist nicht vollkommen unverständlich, bestehen The Popguns doch bereits seit 1986!

Tathergang:

4 Alben in den 90ern, dann eine Auszeit von rund 15 Jahren, die Rückkehr auf die Bühne und schließlich ein neuer Plattenvertrag bei Matinee Recordings mit „Pop Fiction“ (2014) und nun „Sugar Kisses“ als Folgen.

Plädoyer:

Drehen wir die Zeit um 25 Jahre zurück: nostalgischer Indiepop, eingängiger Janglepop und schrammelnder Powerpop, als wäre es 1992. Freunden von The Darling Buds, The Primitives (damals) und Allo Darlin’, Veronica Falls (heute) empfohlen. 

Leider ist „Sugar Kisses“ nicht auf Vinyl erhältlich.

Zeugen:

But the album finds the band unwilling rely only on that traditional strength and listeners aiming for nostalgia.  So here melancholy janglers like the wonderful showcase song "So Long" are balanced by the robust tracks such as "We Don't Go Round There Anymore", "A Dream Of Her Own", "Gene Machine", "Fire Away", and the glorious "Finished With The Past".  The variety and quality of execution shows this Brighton band to be as vital, energetic and aggressive as are many new bands trying to make there way in music.  The difference is that The Popguns are pros at this, and it shows.  Wendy Pickles' voice still impresses with its power and range, but even more intriguing to any careful listener is her nuanced touch with the emotional content of the songs.  The result is an album as strong as any the band has done, and it will serve as a summer mix tape for the discerning indie pop fan.  Pop the champagne corks for The Popguns -- they have earned it!
(When You Motor Away…)

They still sound like they used to, albeit it a little more mature and a little cleaner in their sound. Plus the additional backing vocals of Kate Mander add another layer of harmonies to the songs. There's much of their classic sound at play here though with lots of regret and reminiscing about the past in the lyrics. This new album is also full of bittersweet pop songs with catchy choruses like on "A Dream Of Her Own" and it closes with two songs leaning more towards their power pop side. "Fire Away" features what will probably be the closest The Popguns get to a song with gang vocals and "Finished With The Past" is just classic Popguns and the highlight for me.
(collective-zine)

Indizien und Beweismittel:

Ortstermine:
Finden nur in Brighton (07.07. und 18.08.) und London (16.09.) statt.

Urteile:
Nun sind die werten Richter gefragt...