Bart and Friends - There May Come a Time (Matinee)/It's Not the Words That You Say (Shelflife)

Bart Cummings has been a fixture on the Australian indie-pop scene for several decades, and occasionally, he gathers his friends together (a number of which were in the late, lamented The Lucksmiths) and releases fun, pleasant pop records as Bart And Friends. This summer, he’s released two EP’s, There May Come a Time and It’s Not the Words That You Say. Both records are six songs long, and each feature a surprising cover; the first EP contains a cover of “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” (yes, the Elvis hit) with stunningly lovely vocals by the always great Pam Berry. The latter EP features a nice cover of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” done in a scrappy indie-pop style. The other nine songs are lovely, too; whether it’s the mopey “Hierarchy of Sorrows,” the crooning of Ms. Berry on “There May Come a Time,” the driving “These Words are Too Small,” or the sincere, intense, earnest pleading of “I’m Sure We Haven’t Met Before” and “A Summer’s Dream.” This is primo indie-pop made by people who know how it should be made. Taken together, this is a fun pair of records with plenty of songs for those early autumn heartbreak mixtapes.