As I probably said when reviewing their splendid album,June, Scott Allen & The List has a timeless, almost genreless sound, or at least the sort of sound that has swirled around in the not-as-wide-as-you-might-think divide that has separated pop and rock since the start of what we loosely call popular music. A sound that can claim such varied stalwarts as the early Stones, Cheap Trick, R.E.M., The Church, and XTC as stepping stones.
So having defined the band as undefinable, all we need to do is drop the needle, listen to the song and soak up all its groove and goodness. And it is groovy, and it is good… In fact, it’s great. Rock and roll chops honed into the most accessible slice of pop, the drive and energy of the former dancing deftly with the infectiousness and accessibility of the latter. Both genres subvert each other, becoming more than the sum of their parts.
If there was ever a sweet spot between pop and rock, ‘Sweeter than Before’ is the “X” that marks it.
And it comes with a great video too, part performance video, part found footage, part messing about in parks. A serious slice of fun.
