5/7
The Wombats are a trio of Liverpool lads made up of Matthew Murphy, Daniel Haggis, and Tord Overland Knudsen who in the fall of 2007 released the honest, often goofy, indie-rock album A Guide to Love, Loss, and Desperation. The album speaks to the lighter side of disappointment – adding lyrical humor to the crushing sadness of rejection – becoming an almost manic celebration of the mistakes made in the youthful pursuit of love. Since 2007 and A Guide to Love, Loss, and Desperation, The Wombats have released several EPs, the album This Modern Glitch (2011) and they're about to release a new album this month titled Glitterbug.
Opening with the jaunty barbershop style a Capella track “Tales of Girls, Boys, and Marsupials” that acts almost as a prelude to the album, the trio has just begun to spread their infectious excitement about disappointment. The second track “Lost in the Post” bursts in with a frenzied but articulate drum intro. The song features some campy handclaps that make brief reappearances throughout the album. "Party in a Forest (Where's Laura?)" is a garage fuzz ballade that sings of longing of a school girl crush that leads into “School Uniform.” A highlight from A Guide to Love, Loss, and Desperation is “Here Comes the Anxiety”, declaring hopefully that “I hope that no one ever leaves, because I afraid to be alone with me”. The combination of desperation, manic enthusiasm, and catchy melodies creates an album that is just as enthralling 8 years later.
“Let’s Dance to Joy Division” is an enthusiastic quip that revels in the irony of their morbid pulse rock forefather, from which the track claims to be an ode to, being presented in such a manner. This song utilizes a kids choir from Llangattock Primary School for the chorus, presenting the topic even more ironically. From songs about hookers, screwing up dates, and romancing about girls they believe out of their league the Wombats have cranked out an indie-rock disco album just as good as any rom-com (And rom-coms are great). Of note on this album they have a bonus track cover of Leona Lewis’s “Bleeding Love” that the Wombats knock out of the park.
To quote The Guardian: “Heartbreak never sounded like so much fun.”
The tracklist is below.
1. "Tales of Girls, Boys & Marsupials" (The Wombats)
2. "Kill the Director"
3. "Moving to New York"
4. "Lost in the Post"
5. "Party in a Forest (Where's Laura?)"
6. "School Uniforms"
7. "Here Comes the Anxiety"
8. "Let's Dance to Joy Division"
9. "Backfire at the Disco"
10. "Little Miss Pipedream"
11. "Dr. Suzanne Mattox PhD"
12. "Patricia the Stripper"
13. "My First Wedding"(Bonus Track)
14. “Metro Song” (Bonus Track)
15. “Bleeding Love” (Bonus Track)
16. “Is This Christmas?” (Bonus Track)
