English Singles - Finer Points

Coming out of Sacramento CA's excellent underground punk/pop scene, English Singles are helmed by Scott Miller, one go the lynchpins of said scene and erstwhile member of such great bands as The Bananas, Ski Instructors, Bright Ideas, Nar and many others. With a rich knowledge of punk and DIY pop history, one can always count on one of Miller's bands to have be sparked by great, ragged tunes in the Television Personalities/McTells/Cause Co-Motion! tradition.

English Singles are the latest of Miller's bands and they might be his best yet. "Backstreet Pages" is their first release and it's nothing short of a master class in DIY pop. 12-string infused tunes like "Grey Skies USA" and "Winter" wouldn't sound out-of-place on an early Creation Records compilation, and "Daydream" sports a super sing-along melody. The EP wraps up with live favorite "Finer Points," which has been rather aptly been described as a cross between Buzzcocks and Razorcuts. "Backstreet Pages" is exactly the kind of a record that the 7" singles was invented for: immediate, scrappy pop that will sit snugly next to those well-worn Comet Gain and Pastels singles in your collection and remind you with every play about what can be so great about basic, elemental pop music.