THE BORIS FLATS
The Sunshine Imperative 
(Self Released)

Being of British descent, I’m often guilty of bias when it comes to Britpop and for me that purple patch of stellar pop music that emerged from the old country in the mid-nineties was a breath of fresh air during the dark age of grunge.

Roll on English duo The Boris Flats viz. Van Norris-Jones & Geoff Webb (with various guests) who certainly trade in the same space as the Britpop revival of that special era and now weigh in with the follow-up to impressive debut – Dinlo: The Original Soundtrack – which I’m glad to report stands up to the best that Britpop has to offer!

Still on the menu –luscious melodies, bouncy rhythms, clever arrangements and the best Britpop influences around. From the uncanny XTC (think: Go 2) improvisation of “Smug,” Floydian instrumental conceit of “One Thousand Nimmos (From The Social Contract To The Sky, The Horizon and The Mountains),” the Kinksian music hall evocation of “Geezerworld,” the tongue-in-cheek Lennonesque parody of “Blisspig,” the gorgeous Macca (or Eric ‘10cc’ Stewart – take yer pick) invoking “I Love U More” and the Beatlesque psych-fest of the title track.

That said, it is on the opening “Gumball” where echoes of Gallic popsters Tahiti 80 and sublime US pop trio Papas Fritas rise to the surface and The Boris Flats’ easy pop flair must be recognized. One of the songs of the year and the type of which, this writer would love to hear more of. How about it, Van and Geoff? A  www.theborisflats.co.uk