Timeless sound

Although they were lumped in with the Madchester sound, they were really more similar to early 80s experimental acts such as the Fire Engines through to mid 80's Manchester greats such as BIG FLAME. They referenced punk funk but definately had elements of the Madchester groove and managed to ride the wave for a while but then they felt the inevitable backlash. This and its follow up are great LPs which are unjustifiably overlooked. Great tunes which still sound contempory.

Soundalikes?

Having been there at the start, seeing them supporting bands like Cud (Yay!) and The Family Cat (Boo!), right up to their last tour as a headline act, there's no way the Fads sounded anything like the Happy Mondays. Pigeonhole is a great album, sadly, the free 7" which accompanied the vinyl isn't here in its entirity - their cover of 'I'm Set Free' is beautiful. These guys were not just a band, they were demi-gods. A huge mix of influences and styles, well worth the download if you don't have the vinyl or CD already.... AMG have it right when they talk of Dance Rock - these boys could make you sweat to death!

Though they’ve been accused of being Happy Mondays soundalikes, New Fast Automatic Daffodils create quite an original racket on Pigeonhole. Mute is simply too smart of a label to sign a band of mimics. With a lazy, light dance vibe that can only be called groovy, Pigeonhole unfolds like a party on a platter. Repetitive vocals lines, evoking alternating gruff and laid-back moods, work quite nicely against a Peter Hook-sounding bass guitar. If the lyrics sometimes get a bit odd, as in “Fishes Eyes” with its talk of devils and fish eyes, the album’s optimism-in-the-face-of-adversity theme is quite charming amid the catchy, accomplished music. Standout tracks include “Partial,” “Big,” “Amplfier,” and “Partial.” In these songs, New Fast Automatic Daffodils posture as if they’re filtering the Happy Mondays ethic through Joy Division, the Birthday Party, and the Wedding Present. “Amplifier”‘s tribal beats and hoarse vocals mark it as a song that should have been an underground hit. Pigeonhole’s distant sound, thanks to smart production by the band and Danny Kelly, sets exactly the right stage for New Fast Automatic Daffodils’ baggy vibes. Rolling beats, drugged guitars, and stylized vocals, all in the name of depressed funk, rarely work as well as they do here. Pigeonhole is a true gem in the genre of spacey, laid-back dance-rock. – Tim DiGravina