By – Kayleigh Dr3ake

Ladies and gentlefolks, say hello to your new spring soundtrack

As a Media Profesh, I’ve accepted my fair share of writing assignments. However, I don’t think I’ve ever accepted one faster than I did this Jetstream Pony review. This is a band I was (somehow) unfamiliar with up until recently, when I was asked to review their upcoming album, “Bowerbirds and Blue Things.” The band was described to me as a “UK dreampop supergroup” — three words that ensure that, without even hearing it, I already know I’m going to love it. In the critically acclaimed film The Devil Wears Prada, Stanley Tucci’s fashion editor character Nigel famously says, “Give me a full ballerina skirt and a hint of saloon and I’m on board.” For me, it’s “give me power-pop with a hint of vocal harmonies and I’m on board.” This record checks all of those boxes, and then some. For starters, this band comprises multiple familiar faces. There’s Beth Arzy (from Aberdeen) on vocals, Shaun Charman (from the Wedding Present) on guitar and vocals, Mark Matthews (from the Dentists) on guitar, Kerry Boettcher (from Turbocat) on bass and Tom Levesley on drums. Eleni Poulou of the Fall even contributes vocals on one of the tracks. It’s an ensemble cast of excellent musicians, and it shows. The overarching theme of “Bowerbirds and Blue Things” is blissed-out power-pop, but there are twinges of post-punk and shoegaze that give it some depth. I’d liken it to a sugary Stone Roses, or a poppier Lush. The opening track “Sit and Wonder” starts the album out on an infectiously catchy note, with a jangly, simple-yet-memorable guitar riff that sounds similar in tone to the 12-string one in “It’s My Life” by fellow Brit band the Animals. “Frustration Can Cause Accidents” comes right after, and it’s one of my personal faves from the album — barely three minutes’ worth of power pop perfection tied together by a delightfully crunchy bassline.  “Bubblegum Nothingness,” one of the first singles from this record, is another shimmering standout, and the song from which the album title is derived — “bowerbirds and blue things make my day,” Beth sings in the first verse. It’s followed up with another single, “The Relativity of Wrong,” which is where the post-punk element really starts coming in, and I’d even say there’s some krautrock sensibilities in the mix. Spoken-word verses are paired with a driving, harmonized refrain that reminds me of the song “Emotional Devotion Creator” by another excellent band, Peel Dream Magazine.  “Bonanza 2 Tango Sierra” is the longest track on the album, at nearly five-and-a-half minutes, but it’s the kind of song that could go on for five more minutes and I wouldn’t be mad. “Birdland ‘74,” another one of my faves, starts with a fuzzed-out bassline that fleshes out into a midtempo bop in one of my favorite keys (F sharp, for anyone asking). The album continues with several more short-and-sweet pop bops before ending on “Look Alive,” a fabulous closing track propelled by driving drums and reverby harmonized vox (which, in my opinion, could have been a single, too).

Overall, I really can’t say enough good things about this record. There’s not a single subpar song on it. If you want an album that feels like a walk on a sunny day, something to provide a stark contrast to the bleak reality we’re currently living in, you need to listen to this. It’ll do your body good, and I honestly can’t think of a better way to ring in the spring season.