British pop group Garfields Birthday have been operating under the radar for well over a decade, leaving barely a ripple in the pool of indie pop. That’s not only a shame, but, on the evidence of Tea and Sympathy, baffling. A collection of remastered early tracks, Tea and Sympathy displays a band with a strong grasp on creamy melody and bittersweet romance, taking gentle guitar pop and giving it a more substantial weight than its soft, breezy veneer would at first lead one to believe. Strong, smart tracks like “Better Than Reality,” “Sympathy No. 4” and “Just An Old Flame” stand up nicely to any other British twee pop classics you’d care to name. “The Filthy Underground” paints its melody with a psychedelic coat for a distinctive highlight; “The Norm” breaks tradition with fuzz on its guitars and a wry satirical message in its lyrics. “Old England” takes a melancholy look at home accompanied by an absolutely gorgeous melody. In addition to its individual pleasures, the disk also allows us a glimpse at the band’s progress; assuming that the tracks are presented in chronological order, the group’s strongest work appears at the end. Though not truly indicative of what the band would later become – in large part due to the departure of guitarist/songwriter James Laming after these sessions – Tea and Sympathy is nonetheless a corker of a primer for the work of one of the U.K.’s most underrated pop treasures.
http://www.garfieldsbirthday.com
http://www.songsandwhispers.com
http://www.pinkhedgehog.com
