Earth First

Call the cops...Bobby Wratten's been robbed!  Actually, call the Garda, too - Ken Sweeney's been burgled an' all!  Of course, I'm only joking but just one listen to Earth First's "To The Night" (Cloudberry) and you could be forgiven for thinking that Bobby's or Ken's songbook had been pinched and that Ian Catt had been held hostage and made to lend his lightness of sonic touch to recording its contents*.  Still, that doesn't stop me from loving it.  I know it probably should,  that I should be demanding more innovation from my music but it's such a beautfiul, welcome sound that its lack of newness isn't an issue.  Also, it's not as if Earth First try to conceal their admiration for the aforementioned Wratten and Sweeney; they even declare:

Earth First is a bedroom pop project of Brian Castriota, inspired by the music of Keris Howard, Bobby Wratten, Ken Sweeney and other classic indie pop acts of the late 80s and early 90s.

Evidence of good taste and to be encouraged, I'd say!  "To The Night" may be an almost exact synthesis of Castriota's heroes' work but it's done with love and definitely not for financial gain as nobody every got rich copying The Field Mice did they?  I may not still be the soft-centred soul who fell in love with The Field Mice 20 odd years ago but I'll never not love that sound so I'll definitely buy a copy when it reaches the UK mail-order companies.



* - It was, in fact, Drew Driver of fellow Sarah Records enthusiasts Horse Shoes (and fellow Shelflife act Soda Shop) who fulfilled the Ian Catt role on "To The Night".