Here we have another release form the UK's cutest record label Wee Pop! This time they have released four tracks from Boston band One Happy Island as an EP called "Pulaski Park". As we have come to expect from this label, these tracks are a delightful confection of sweet, summery sounds.
The great thing about these songs is that they are wondrous reflections of the trivialities of life. "Anita", for example, is a song about a friend that has moved away and how much she is missed - "… Just like the fake bricks in your living room, I'm so painted blue". Only in America! "Florida Dear" is likewise a lo-fi gem with an annoyingly catchy chorus. To keep things interesting, "Potential" punches in some hardcore ukulele action to what is almost a polka beat and then sends it right over the top with a kazoo solo or two. Inspired madness, that's what it is. Imagine trying to sell the potential of this band to some tired A&R guy. Talking once more of lyrics, even Bacharach & David at their most urbane would never have tried to slip "Lasers can shape your corneal contours but they can't make poor Emerson, Lake and Palmer better" past our ears. Well, One Happy Island does and we applaud them for it. It is not an easy task to write about such trivial things as it requires a maturity at odds with the actual subject matter and the musical joys here are indeed subtle ones and all the better for it.
You just don't get nicer than this band. It's like having a whole new Partridge family (a wholesome seventies sitcom for those who do not have a DVD player or cable). These songs won't change the world but they sure leave you smiling and you can't reasonably ask for anything more. Well worth your money and that's a fact.