Upon discovering that they describe themselves as ‘psychopop’ I was immediately struck with fear and an image of an Aqua covers band, delirious having od’d on Skittles and sniffed to much sherbet, singing in a helium fueled voice. Thankfully The Cellophane Flowers are nothing of the sort, and take their vibe from the far cooler song about Lucy and her Diamonds. Their debut EP revealed a band of an insistent and interesting pop sound, and this, their full length album, Staring At The World, shows that the promise on the first set of songs was no magical accident, but the fruits of a very talented band.
The shimmering first notes of Voices suggest that this may be a soothing slow folky style affair (sorry, but I can’t take any more Mumford soundalikes) but the pace quickly picks up into song that is a prism of primary colours. Grooving with sixties savoir and swinging with fifties flair, the whole album has a hypnotic and punchy feel.

Francesca’s vocals are reminiscent of Kate from The Long Blondes, with a sketchy smokey sound of The Postmarks. As delightful as the seductive and lovely languorous singing style is, The Cellophane Flowers don’t rest upon their frontwoman to deliver like so many bands do, with a tight and compelling rhythm section in Nick, flanked by Luca on bass and Ian on guitar, both of whom traverse the fretwork to deliver a discordent frenzy of psychedelic indie.
Whether verging on the line of sweetly sinister with Belinda, buffering up to the edges of euphoria on Time or traversing happy loops and crunching sounds, such as on the angsty Rock’n’Roll, the band are animated and experimental, but never forget what they are there to do – deliver one heck of a pop gem. An album launch party live show has also been confirmed for 6th December at Paper Dress Vintage in Shoreditch – we recommend you get down there!

Pop needs more bands like this. Not skinny jeaned clad hipsters. Not young upstarts suddenly starry eyed. Not meaningful and morbid ‘thinking’ bands. Straight up exciting songs from a bunch of mates who know how to use their instruments to great effect and  for great sounds.
Debut album A Slight Distraction has been bubbling up inside The Standards for a while now. The sharp observations and soothing contemplations that strike through these ten songs have evolved over countless gigs and years. This means that copious influences, from life and music, abound and make the pervading genre other that of a mature and pithy gaze at life.
There’s the summer fair sound of Resignation Waltz,  the wind in the hair chorus of  Speed Up, the Jarvis lilt to the vocals on  Mice, the Franz Ferdinand beat opening Slow Down (which you can get for free here) and the lamenting yearning of Drowning, When You Found Me which breaks into a very noughties dance beat complete with oohs, and the almost 80s Romantics chord finishing off She Came To The City.
Neil Winspear‘s voice is that of an outsider brought to the party, and the whole album is wrapped in that delicious pop gloom, a slightly off kilter reality that makes the sound tangible. Everyone from The Independent to FHM, BBC 6 to Feeling Gloomy have lent their support to The Standards, and if you like what you hear, remember to come down to It’s All Happening Fridays on October 26th at The King’s Head, Acton.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHn1zSfNPDU]

Reviewed by Francesca Baker

My initial thought was ‘Oooh, they remind me of Pulp.’ Anyone who knows It’s All Happening, or myself, will aware that this is emphatically. A. Good. Thing. The occasionally venomous lyrics plinky piano and bouncy melodies employed by The Standards are used to an alchemic effect to create a songs so catchy that your find your heart beating to them long before your head starts to process them. All this is true on latest single Mice, offhand comments made in a slightly soiled yet soothing voice tossed amongst moody riffs as it swerves with menace to a ridiculously simple and catchy chorus. Despite being doused in Carnaby Street style, there are some surprises chucked in; the trickling guitar post chorus sounds almost Catalan and even the la la la’s sound like an essential ingredient in the quest for the perfect pop song. Love it.
Mice by The Standards