The School
Reading Too Much Into Things Like Everything Elefant Records

Article written by Ged M

“Here’s to never growing up” is the sign-off on the sleeve. And to immunise themselves from the effects of aging, they’ve prescribing themselves a lifelong course of pop music – and specifically Golden Age pop, the music of Gainsbourg, Spector and Bacharach, Motown, garage and Northern Soul, yé-yé, Europop and girl groups, wistful ballads, trebly up-tempo tunes and stompy dancers. Going back to The School for their second album, you find 12 short tracks of dreamy-eyed 60s-steeped indiepop that is infectiously likeable. Thankfully, this is homage rather than pastiche, and the School are excellent learners. Their songs are deceptively simple (lyrically at least) and perfectly melodic, but they’ve done their homework with the arrangements, where the drums resonate like the heartbeats of teenage lovers and strings and brass orchestrate the big emotions. It’s the same application of detailed pop knowledge that Saint Etienne have been using but in School-time, the heart always rules the head so it’s not just an examination exercise. 

The songs move through dancefloor indiepop with outrageously catchy keyboard riffs (‘Never Thought I’d See the Day’) to wistfully romantic assertions (‘You Make Me Hear Music (Inside My Head)’). On the way we encounter the Motor City beat of ‘Stop That Boy!’, the crazy stomping rhythms and madly struck piano of the candyfloss ‘Baby Won’t You Stay With Me Tonight?’ and classic soulful pop with heartstopping chorus and honeyed blasts of brass on ‘Where Does Your Heart Belong?’ (It’s interesting that, in best pop writing style, one-quarter of the songs here are questions from girl to boy.) 

It’s an excellent second helping of retro-pop, charming, comforting but with a modern energy and intensity that dispels notions of plagiarism. They’ve used their influences well and wisely, which will please their teachers. 

Links:
http://theschoolband.blogspot.co.uk/
https://elefant.com/en/biografia/grupo/252/The%20School
http://www.facebook.com/theschoolband?ref=ts