Blue Skies opens with the thump of rat-a-tat drums and manhandled electric
guitars. Chords are slashed at, snare drums are pummelled and the bass pulses
like a marathon runner's heart in the last half mile. As it flies past it tips
its hat to Tenpole Tudors' Swords Of 1000 Men and shares a drink or
two with Tim Booth from James.
Unwittingly, Special Needs could have soundtracked the Tory Party's
leadership contest. Its limpet like chorus of; "To the left, to the right!"
scans like a Daily Mail banner headline on the latest lurch of the cursed
Conservatives. I can picture Boris Johnson belting this out in a drunken night out in
the bars of Westminster - the lyric; "At the curtain call, I only cared for
daring vaudeville" - seems to fit him rather well. Stranger still is the image
of Michael Howard marshalling some warped version of Mike Reed around
where MPs scramble for places on the left or right before the song stops.
This song will be packing indie dance floors this summer. It is the perfect
mix of breezy sunny vocal harmonies, heavenly hooks and that killer chorus.
Everybody dance now.
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