My Little Airport – Zoo is Sad, People are Cruel

Don’t let the beginning (or indeed the title) of Victor, Fly Me To Stafford put you off, it’s a wonderfully affirmative love song

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Nowadays we hear the word twee bandied about quite a bit these days, but I defy anyone to deny the essential tweeness of My Little Airport. They’re so pop they’ve substituted the obligatory band photo for a couple of very fey schoolgirls replete with uniform… and that’s not all. The lyrics are, well… There’s no two ways about it, they’re twee. Get this opening line from My Little Banana "My little beautiful pretty pretty banana, you are all that I’d like and I want to share you with all my friends, family and loved one."

Blimey.

Still this is a very affecting release. It does manage to charm you without indulging in too much wispy sentiment; odes to bananas or no. And, like a lot of fey pop releases, it doesn’t stick around too long to drive you up the wall, clocking in at 29 minutes or thereabouts. The opening three tracks are sublime; Edward Had You Ever Thought the End of The World Would Come on 20.09.01? is a marvellously gentle love song, driven by the sort of keyboards not seen outside of a toy shop. Here’s a touch of the Shuttleworth casio about a number of these songs, but let us not say that is a bad thing. This is straight up pop. Don’t let the beginning (or indeed the title) of Victor, Fly Me To Stafford put you off, it’s a wonderfully affirmative love song and shares with the similarly wonderful Because I was Too Nervous at the Time the plaudit of the album’s highlight.

There are attempts at a sort of rock out (albeit the most limp-wristed manner possible), as heard on such as Gigi Leung is Dead and When I Listen to The Field Mice, but in the main Zoo is Sad, People are Cruel is a winsome affair for sharing a long afternoon and a nice cup of tea with your loved one. Lovely.

Words: Richard Foster