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Poindexter supported Howards Alias at The Nexus a few weeks before Easter and me and Tom went along. Poindexter were first on, and I was instantly impressed. They were emo but in a pop-punk way (like The Ataris) but they were slightly darker, a la Alkaline Trio, and the first song even sounded like The Misfits. So I bought their cheap-and-nasty-looking CD and took it home and listened to it.
Luckily it is one of these impulse gig buys that really pays off. It's a great EP, and although there are only four songs (and a Woody Allen sample) they are very good. "Are We There Yet" sounds a bit like Skirtbox or Bigwig, with some fairly standard emo-pop-punk drivel lyrics. But it's good! "Breathless" starts off a little slower but then you get some nice chunky guitar in there. Then there's "These May Not Be The Best of Times". This is the heaviest song on there, with some great guitar that reminds me a little of AFI. The lyrics suck on this one but I think the guitar rescues it amply. And the drumming ain't bad either. This song was also included on the What A Mess Records compilation. Last on the album is "Alex Kidd In Miracle World", and to my immense joy (and Tom's too) it even has a little sample of the underwater level from the Sega Master System game of the same name. The guitar slides on in over the end of it for a Mr. T Experience-sounding track. Unfortunately there's some lame lyrics over the top - but hell who cares!
The packaging of the CD is another highlight. Although it's obviously all hand-done (and the CD has been labelled with an OHP pen), it's fucking funny. For some reason Gary, Christopher, Peter and Matthew's names have all been made French on the front. The inside is laid out like a Would Like To Meet column, with the song lyrics appearing in between some hilarious adverts such as:
"Garlic-muncher, 23, small hands, bearing passing resemblance to Ronaldo/Dom Joly/Adam Sandler, seeks passionate madamoiselle for frog-leg dinners and long stormy nights plotting to overthrow the Bourgeoisie. Must have unhealthy fascination with Daniel Beddingfield"
All in all, this is a top little CD and I would seriously recommend buying it at one of their gigs or sorting it out through their website at www.poindexter.org.uk. Although the emo-pop-punk genre is getting a bit tired and formulaic these days (Not Katies have got it pretty much covered already), when Poindexter are at their most raw it is a great sound.
Jamie
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