Early Review Of The Awesomely Good New Album From Poundstore Riot (Ash from Derrero and Stu from BMX Bandits)

Only the kind of music junkie I am would make such a declaration but I'm gonna go for it 'cause I'm a crazy Yank:

"Green" by Poundstore Riot is quite possibly even better than some of the tunes from the bands these two guys were in earlier. And that's quite a statement to make considering the CVs of these two fellas: Stuart Kidd was in BMX Bandits, and he was the drummer on that awesome Jonny (Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake and Euros Childs from Gorky's Zygotic Mynci) album, and he's currently in The Wellgreen, while Ash Cooke was in Derrero, and he's currently the main guy behind Pulco, and that's not to mention his many other recent side-projects (all covered on this blog most likely).

These two have really done something special here. The full length from Poundstore Riot won't be out until probably early September via Folkwit Records but it's something you need to pencil-in on your calendars now.

Doubt me about this record? Spin the spiraling six minutes of "Hapless Writer" and hear the perfect blending of the legacies of Welsh and Scottish pop mingling in glorious fashion. Some years ago, as bands like Derrero and Super Furry Animals were roaming the hills of Wales, expanding their minds, and cranking out vaguely psychedelic pop in debt to The Beatles and The Move, acts like Teenage Fanclub and BMX Bandits were...roaming the hills of Scotland, expanding their minds, and welding feedback to the melodies of forefathers like Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, and Neil Young. A lot of lads in two places sifting through a lot of influences to push UK indie forward and into a new direction.

"Cylinder Sound" is the sublime marriage of all that. Ash and Kidd seem like a natural match, the melody here lovely and crisp and the vocals warm and inviting. Still, this album is not all pastoral and mellow 'cause the title track is a noisy bit of biz in the fashion of unfortunately-forgotten Scots band Yatsura, while "Roll Tape" is a humorous spoken-word cut from Ash. There are traces of the experimentation of some Pulco projects on this album but it's the more tuneful and hummable moments such as those found on cuts like "Green", "Cylinder Sound", and "Bobby's Basement" that enchant.

My only complaint is that this record is too short. I am comforted by the fact that I know how prolific these two cats are. I am confident that we might have more from Poundstore Riot in the future.

But, for now, spin these cuts and check out the band's Facebook page, or their Tumblr site. And be sure to visit the Folkwit Records website as the release of this record approaches.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you to follow Ash Cooke's adventures on the Pulco website or on the Derrero page on Bandcamp where all the Derrero albums are up for free (but you should pay something).

As for Stuart Kidd, follow him in The Wellgreen on their Facebook page or Bandcamp page.