Album Review

The Boy Least Likely To – The Law Of The Playground

• 23rd Feb 2009

The second album from the most instantly likeable band on the planet ever, ‘The Law of The Playground’ is another sweet, harmless offering from The Boy Least Likely To. If you’ve never heard this band’s music before, just image some of the songs that children used to dance to on Playdays, add some sincere lyrics and musical talent into the mix and you’re not far off. Literally. It actually does sound like that.

Perhaps reflecting on the album title, this record is full of throwaway playful, innocent, short sounds that are almost fun to listen to. Imagine that scenesters – music that’s FUN to listen to!

Unfortunately for the band however, these factors rapidly become incredibly tiring and it gets difficult to give the songs your full attention. At this point I would normally single out the highlights of an album, but the sheer light heartedness of ‘The Law Of The Playground’ does itself no favours and makes it almost impossible to tell one track from another, resulting in a surreal 46 minute long blur leaving the listener feeling like they have dropped some serious amounts of acid and have passed out watching CBeebies. Not my idea of a good night.

Track by track, ‘The Law of The Playground’ shines as well crafted pop, but listened to in one go results in a sickly over-happy feeling if such a thing exists.

I had better put it next to a Slayer CD on my shelf to balance things out a bit…