The Boy Least Likely To - The Best Party Ever

The vibrant cover and cuddly creatures featured on the cover of The Best Party Ever are tell-tale of what's to come from the piece of plastic within. The child-like drawings and gleeful partying the subjects are adorably compelling, and the two young Brits behind the album are just now garnering some more attention stateside, as they're currently residing on the road for new radio darling James Blunt. Pop they are, but of the indie and twee persuasions, not your typical Top 40 piece of pie. Track names like "Monsters," "Paper Cuts," and "I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes" are deceptive, as they belie the joyous, sunny melodies and optimism which imbues the record's entirety. To listen to The Best Party Ever is akin to warm afternoons in the sandbox or finger-painting the walls without your mother's knowledge--it's dripping with tender, imaginative innocence--and Jof Owens and Pete Hobbs understand their craft well enough to accurately nail each moment that needs a bell here or a whistle there to billow the listener into nostalgia for a time that probably never existed, at least not as pleasantly as The Boy Least Likely To would have you believe. Belle & Sebastian were never this delightful; The Beach Boys never this charming; and Of Montreal rarely as simplistically pleasant. If The Best Party Ever doesn't make a smile cross your face, you just might not be human. [www.theboyleastlikelyto.co.uk]