It’s been said that the most enjoyable books are those that the reader wishes they’d written themselves. In that context, The Pink Tiles write instant pop classics, for theirs are the songs we all wish we’d composed in those emotionally charged, creatively inspired moments in the bedroom of our adolescence.
Picking up from where the band’s debut album left off, Snax, Spirits and Classic Hits is five songs of bubblegum pop glory. Replete with Farfisa organ and ‘60s girl group harmonies, Work It Out is the soundtrack for a work experience placement with the late, great and brilliantly eccentric songwriter/ producer/ manager Kim Fowley. The Boy I Love is a romantic lament for the ages; love is lost, and all that’s there to soften the blow is a stack of Motown records. Cut It Out! gets you up and out on the bedroom floor, with images of Ronnie Spector, The Go-Gos and Angie Pepper flooding your mind. Music Industry Event augments romantic obsession with a statement of political rebellion: you want us to look like that, but we won’t do it. It’s pithy, but significant, and if more bands took that attitude, maybe the music industry would be a better place.
Finally, there’s Blue Rinse, a cheek-to-cheek slow dance at the end of the night, when love’s still there, but tomorrow will always be another day. The Pink Tiles’ pop party is over, and it’s been the best fun you’ve had in ages.
BY PATRICK EMERY
