What you say
No-one has reviewed We Are All In The Gutter by They came From The Stars I Saw Them yet.
What we say
 This record left our Brian feeling ecstatic.
Well summer is officially here this weekend so Norman Records, drowned silly in a tidal wave of singles have to search high & low for an album to suit the mood. As a contrast to old Jack Rose, we've plumped for They Came From The Stars I Saw Them's 'We Are All In The Gutter.......' which is a right day-glo funky space blast of a mother. Having to abandon plans for giving the wonderful The Chap the coveted place a couple of weeks ago, I feel this 9 track collection of bright eyed, air punching pop genius somewhat re-dresses the balance. This is really what The Polyphonic Spree SHOULD sound like, a bunch of grinning loons in cabaret drag producing some tender, joyous & airy freeform pop gems that demand you move your feet and punch the sky. They transcend "punk-funk" or any simple pigeonhole by filling their songs with a slightly cuckoo stew of stunning effects & dynamic sound whilst keeping to itchy, compulsive grooves of varying tempo. Every song is stuffed with life & passion & love. The vibe's kinda like if Hot Chip & Big Audio Dynamite joined a mad happy cult and roped in the sax player from Breaking Glass. There's dub, Caribbean & disco influences but they sound like nothing but English eccentrics attempting to shift the cloud of stultifying tedium that currently tarnishes our once proud innovator of a country. For the 80s pop fan I may be forced to namecheck later Orange Juice & A Certain Ratio here or Radio 4 if they were on quality psychedelics rather than NY smog. The Rapture have also been mentioned somewhere (a bit of a red herring, more !!! I think) but some of these gibberingly brilliant songs (take 'Monkey Typewriter' for instance) are a bit too crackers in places to bother "the charts", kinda like a free jazz Sparks in attitude. There's that playful drama to the lyrics that makes you feel like your in a theatrical dreamland! I can also hear contemporary intelligent alt-rock like Foals, Youthmovies & Soeza in these deliciously schizo songs. I've played this about 5 times now & I'm most taken with it. These ladies & gents have a place waiting in your heart. LP (to come) /CD on Thisisnotanexit.
What the label says:
TRACKLISTING: -
1. The HOT Inc.
2. It’s Time (Version)
3. Everybody Showers Us With Gifts
4. Moon Song
5. Lionel’s Tears
6. Let’s Make Something Real
7. Monkey Typewriter
8. Tiggy Off The Ground
9. Rabbit Seal Monkey
FACT MAGAZINE REVIEW
This mouthful of a band name is a fitting moniker for a colourful beat combo as clever as they are plain weird. While Black Devil Disco Club and The Beach Boys are clear signposts, TCFTSIST’s superb (and long delayed) album is a very English take on eccentric, rightly grooved acidic pop. Beginning with the spindly bounce of ‘The HOT Inc’ and its “Welcome to the church of dance” call to arms, the album bamvboozles with its swirling eccentrica. Despite the kaleidoscopic psych-freakouts, songs such as ‘Its Time’ show that the band fly highest when their funk shrugs off the LSD and gets a wobbly strut on, resembling the Rapture prancing around in a big cape. Perhaps they should stay focused on moving hips rather than the jazz fusion noodles they dip into, but in a musical world ruled by boring bastards, there certainly aren’t enough weirdoes out there writing ditties as deranged as ‘Monkey Typewriter’. Jim Ottewill
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