Anyone tuning in and thinking that
Sarandon embrace the poppy, sweet-as-pie side of Slumberland (as typified by
the Aislers Set or
Rocketship) will be set straight right off by the title the U.K. trio gave its first full-length album. Kill Twee Pop! is not the work of guys who worship Amelia Fletcher and want to spend all night folding 7" covers while listening to
Beat Happening, and that's OK. Instead, it's the sound of angry, political musicians who aren't afraid to be fractured, jarring, and off-putting in the way past groups like obvious inspirations bIG fLAME and
Fire Engines were. And really, it's not a huge surprise to find a band like that on Slumberland, considering they named an early label comp, Why Popstars Can't Dance, after a bIG fLAME track. So if you know you are getting light-speed strumming, off-kilter tempos, angular melodies, and commentary instead of jangle, fuzz, and love songs, then you may be able to embrace
Sarandon for what they are instead of rebuffing them because of what you may have expected them to be. On the other hand, even if you know what you are getting, you may be left cold by the band's monochromatic production values and the sometimes obvious lyrics (picking on twee pop is really not very original). ~ Tim Sendra