It's Just Not Cricket

Following on from the theme of yesterday's blip, it's possible that my sudden urge to turn sports reporter and hunt down action shots of a Harborne vicars' team owes something to the release of the second album by the Duckworth Lewis Method, which has been my daily soundtrack for the last ten days or so, and will more than likely continue to be for much of the summer.

The first album, released in 2009, was a great selection of finely-crafted pop songs about cricket, but could never quite shake off the feeling of being a novelty record. This follow-up, from its artwork - an affectionate send-up of Springsteen's Born In The USA - to its range of songs, encompassing Stones-esque blues rock, cheesy Eighties synthpop and Madness-influenced music hall, is a true gem. The songwriting has achieved just the right balance between tongue-in-cheek whimsy and honest reflections on sport's role in society and life. It's vaguely reminiscent of Half Man Half Biscuit at their finest; and from me, praise doesn't come much higher.

Leaving four years in between albums is a handy way of ensuring that familiarity doesn't breed contempt for a band that is, ultimately, a side-project for its members. However, it does also mean that we probably won't be hearing from the DLM again until 2017. In the absence of all that many better bands out there at the moment, the repeat button on my stereo is likely to be worn down to a nub very soon.