CD reviews: Super Turtle To The Rescue

The project of Birkenhead’s Earwig recording studio owner Darren McShane, SuperTurtle make a charming, light-hearted idiosyncratic style of pop that has a feel redolent of the less self-conscious bands on the Flying Nun and Arch Hill labels. It’s a concoction that’s livened up by McShane’s sense of humour, and the slightly loopy instrumental line-up which includes, at times, mellotrons and theremins.

Having managed a few left-field hits on bFM’s alternative charts, they’ve now got this 10-song CD together with a 7-inch vinyl single in a sturdy cover that proclaims the joys of vinyl. In fact, there’s a complete list of ‘how records give you more of what you want’.

Which leads to SuperTurtle’s biggest point of difference: while most bands record in digital environments, and presumably take pleasure in the ease with which digital gizmos tart up their sound, SuperTurtle (and Earwig studio) are completely analogue. That means not only recording to 24-track tape, but no digital enhancement whatsoever, and more or less real-time ‘live’ recording in the studio. Does it sound good? It sounds good.

From: Sarang Bang/Global Routes/NZ
Genre: Skewed pop
Music: 3.5
Sound: 3.5

Gary Steel