Sometimes you think that Morrissey deserves a right good kicking for making depressing dirges fashionable in the world of pop music. It is his legacy, if you like, to leave hundreds and hundreds of singers, songwriters and bands with no option other than to drown their audience in a sea of their own misery. Fortunately, there is a lifeboat on the horizon to save us. That lifeboat is crewed by Lancashire band, The Ragamuffins.
Throwing us a lifebelt filled with happy hummable songs, this band are what this once great country needs - a reason to get out of bed and dance. Like all great pop bands, they draw on a whole bundle of influences - there is a bit of the Beatles, a bit of Blur and even a bit of the Kinks - but manage to produce their own sound. You just can't argue with the sharp lyrics and general likeability of "Little Lucy, What's Your Problem?", for example and you'll soon find yourself singing along like you were an extra in a jolly Housemartin's promo video. "Lucky Stars" is so commercial that you almost feel embarrassed, even uncool, for liking it. Lead singer - and the songwriter as well it would seem - David Jaggs does a class job but it was the jaunty keyboards provided by Jules Gilchrist that gave this band their quintessential British sound.
So set sail for the future because it will certainly be bright if The Ragamuffins have anything to do with it.
Available from the Ragamuffins website.