Azalia Snail has been making delicious indie for longer than this sort of music has really been called indie. She is a legend on her own terms so any new project involving her is something to take notice of. She is now in a band with her partner Dan West and it's called LoveyDove. The newest record is Showstopper and it's a fun blast of spirited near-glam rock. Read on!
If standout "Crown Dancer" offers up bright pop then "Main Course" leans more in the direction of pseudo-disco with a great deal of effectiveness. A spirited cover of Todd Rundgren's "I Saw The Light" (featuring Cellars) serves up the sort fun that, sadly, so much of contemporary indie-pop seems to be lacking. The superb "Top Shop" features John S. Hall of King Missile for a tune that sounds a whole lot like an American spin on the sleek dance-y offerings of early Saint Etienne. Elsewhere, "Instant Joy" and "Enuf Days" crank up something approaching a kind of smart take on disco. That Azalia Snail sounds a tiny bit like Kylie Minogue on these cuts is a big compliment as far as I'm concerned and a reminder that the lines between indie and pop needn't be so far apart. The trippy "Lift Off" takes that vibe and runs with it in the service of something more expansive.
Showstopper by LoveyDove is a whole lot of fun and this set of bright, largely-bouncy indie boppers is a pleasant surprise. That it's further confirmation of the brilliant pop sense of Azalia Snail is yet one more notch in the "plus" column for this one.
You can grab Showstopper by LoveyDove now via the Bandcamp link below. Follow LoveyDove via the band's official Facebook page.
[Photo: LoveyDove Facebook page, uncredited]