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 Caught in the Carousel - "There will be music despite everything"
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Andy B
Buttons and Badges
Pastime
On a busman's holiday from his duties in the indie pop outfit National Pastime, Andy Botterill's new solo effort is one of the best under the radar records of the year. While his band is famous for tight rhythms and choruses that jangle and sway, Buttons And Badges reveals Andy B.'s more meditative side. These songs sound like the end of summer; a slow goodbye to the sun and the surf and the inevitable fade into fall. The opener "Daisy Smiles" is wistful and bittersweet; "Through My Fingers" comes with a dreamy regret and "Water Under The Bridge" is nothing short of utterly elegant. Elsewhere, "I Am Ice" is catchy and effortless and even the punchy "Let's Talk About It Later" has a laconic charm. It all ends with "Let It Be Quick," a heartbreaking number about hoping for mercy in the face of the merciless end of a romance. We should all be so lucky.
—Alex Green
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