06/28/2007: "Sandman Review"

Derby four piece Lardpony offer up 11 fabulously squidgy lo-fi electropop gems on The Greatest Invention Ever, follow up to last year's tremendous This Is Lardcore. Never short of a catchy hook or a thrilling chorus, these often short but always sweet pop snippets make the heart soar. From the bittersweet tweeness of 'The Gog' ('I met a girl I liked her face / she added me to her myspace / she said she didn't like my shoes / I cried into my rucksack / I liked the badges that she wore / she shared my taste in emocore / I bought a brand new cardigan / but it was not enough') to the comedy genius of 'Teenwolf' (featuring the brilliant 'I used to be a werewolf / but I'm alright noooooooooow' howl), with glorious hints of Cinerama thrown in for good measure on tracks such as the beguiling 'Trance Anthem' ('I met a girl / her eyes shone / I became convinced / she was the one').
With their endearingly wonky keyborads and the sort of easy to relate to lyrics that The Research would be proud of, Lardpony are going from strength to strength, both on record and with their increasingly impressive live shows. This album is undeniably fun. Tom, Pod, Mandy and Nathan are clearly on a creative roll. These new tracks exude all of the energy and edge of their live sets and perfectly showcase their ramshackle synthpop style. You really can't go wrong with this wonderful release from Derby's finest.

Hannah Webster