They met up in 2002 and started their own label to publish their songs. They released a full album in the UK in 2005. The same album, The Best Party Ever, was released a year later in the US. They received some major recognition that year when Rolling Stone announced them as one of the top ten bands. The band is made up of Pete Hobbs and Jof Owen, who started writing songs together while still in school.
Honestly the first thing that caught my attention was the album art in my cover flow. If you have a moment, browse through their pictures. You will see what I mean! The art has gotten a lot of attention, so I must not be the only one! After that caught my eye, I tried out the one song that I had, Be Gentle With Me. I loved it. It is such a unique sound that it really caught me off guard. I then, of course, downloaded the rest of their album and scoured the web for the date of their next release. If you like them, you can check out their new singles on myspace, but the new album won't be out until next month.
Their sound is always upbeat, even when the lyrics are a little more serious. Their instrumentation is what makes me smile the most. They use mallets, banjos, and other various percussion sounds. The rolling stones said that it the sounds resembles what would happen if your stuffed animals started a band. I have to agree with that.
My favorite song is I'm Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon To Your Star. It is just so happy! Really all the songs are great. I keep coming back to this album over and over again. I hope you like them too!
