On the surface, nothing much has changed in Len Price 3-land since Pennyblackmusic called their debut album 'Chinese Burn' the "first consistently brilliant album of 2005".

Sixties inspired garage pop songs still rattle by at breakneck pace, with Neil Fromow filling in the gaps with lively harmonies and even livelier drumming. Meanwhile, singer Glenn Page offers up a mix of witty songs delivered in his North Kent drawl, and then the occasional curveball that tugs unexpectedly at your heartstrings – ‘After You’re Gone’ begins with its narrator in the hospital, wondering what he’ll do when nobody is left to look after him.

Closer inspection, however, suggests two improvements since their earliest work. Firstly, those vocal harmonies have become more ambitious, adding considerably to the tunefulness of nearly every song. Secondly, they seem to have become more confident in their songwriting, and therefore play up the ‘sixties pop’ elements of their sound over the ‘garage rock’, with welcome results.

The album kicks off with its fieriest moment, the cheeky ‘Pictures’ (the first song I’ve heard in a while to include the word "twaddle" in its lyric sheet, and all the better for that), which rattles along in the fine tradition of the Who. After that, the focus is tunes, tunes, tunes.

It’s a blast. Some critics would no doubt accuse the Len Price 3 of being shamelessly in thrall to the past. And its true. This is a deliberate attempt to recreate the music they love, right down to the matching black and white striped shirts they wear for every live performance.

The songs on ‘Pictures’ will leave the Len Price 3 even better equipped to win round any crowd.


Track Listing