Renowned for musical marmite, quirky ideas and a dedication
to all that is Wakefield, indie label Philophobia Music
mix things up yet again with their split EP.
Comprising of two tracks from Lapels and two from Sponge Wings,
the Rocket Footage EP is an intriguing collection of
styles. With lashings of pop, punk, garage, indie and more,
this EP (like most of the Philophobia stuff) sounds like it
was recorded in your basement and has an authentic, human sound about it.
Lapels are first up and kick-start things brilliantly with their
cheerfully-creepy style of thrashed-out indie. With a sound that
has a strong resemblance to early Pixies stuff (albeit with
a distinct Yorkshire accent) they bound their way through a raw six
minutes of music.
As the meaning of indie music has indeed changed over recent years,
Lapels may not have appeal with the sort of people that think The Courteeners
are real indie for example. Anyone who likes the old school,
garage-sounding indie may enjoy these lot though.
When the slow, melancholy melodies for Ice Cream Headache start you are
fooled into thinking Sponge Wings are going all depressing on us. That
is until the keys speed up, the vocals loose the plot and you realise
that you’re at a crazy, messed-up fairground and the sugar paper
you’ve eaten had a faintly acidic tang to it.
I have to say I really like these guys. Their eccentric blend of
music sounds unrestricted and free – they sound like their having a
bloody good time playing. Admittedly some people may think it’s
just odd but I got it, felt the vibe and enjoyed it.
The more I listen to the Philophobia stuff, the more I grow to enjoy it.