The School - Wasting Away And Wondering

Sorry, noiseniks, it is a rainy Tuesday morning and the day demands to be jump started with some indie pop.  Fortunately, The School has things covered with their new album Wasting Away And Wondering.  The sweet spot for this assembly of musicians from Cardiff, Wales is retro-tinged pop music that will recall your favorites from '60s artists such as Dusty Springfield, The Shirelles and The Ronettes as well as contemporary bands such as Scotland's Camera Obscura, England/Australian outfit Allo Darlin' and the US' Saturday Looks Good To Me.  And that tells me that I will hear sweet female vocals, rich instrumentation, and classic but bouncy melodies.  But knowing what I am getting does nothing to lessen the familiar and welcome rush I feel when this music hits my brain.  The School is a savvy band, knowing when to punch things up with horns or smooth them out with strings.  But nothing is done to be showy or announce 'aren't we clever'.  It all is in the service of delivering the pop goods to your ears.  Give yourself a treat; not everything good is spanking new.

The School are Liz, Steph, Harri, Ryan, Fran, Kay, Andy, and Kit.  Wasting Away And Wondering is their third album, and it is out September 4 via Elefant Records.