We have a tendency to fall back on the term 'lo-fi' to describe anything that's NOT laid down in multi-track studio luxury these days, but back in the days of square wheels (alright, Post Punk's initial wave around 1978-80) there were already those knocking around with the ability to put a spanner in the works of mainstream pop and realise it on a budget of next to nothing.
A prime example of this literal DIY Punk ethic (in its' purest sense) was The Flying Lizards' bizarre cover of r'n'b standard 'Money.' Recorded for what is still rumoured to be less than a tenner, it nonetheless lodged in the Top 20 and, seemingly without trying, introduced Heath Robinson-style Pop minimalism to the masses.
Fast forward a precarious three decades and it seems the L-O-A-F label have adopted the Flying Lizards' blank minimalism as their blueprint for cool, subversive pop manoeuvres in the margins. And, with certain exceptions, their 'Domestic Pop' compilation suggests that our best left-field weirdoes (God bless 'em) should consider heading back into the musty corners of their bedrooms when seeking inspiration.
It's purely supposition, but much of what I'm hearing here suggests it was recorded for little more than the price of a second-hand Casio keyboard, maybe an acoustic guitar(at a stretch) and the rental of a small bedsit and a couple of microphones. The end results may not overthrow governments, but at their best they're a great antidote to the dreaded 'X-Factor'.
Please note that 'at their best' bit, though, because there are guests invited to this 'Domestic Pop' gathering who are anything but house-trained. In some cases, those responsible are hardly violating our airspace (the aural wallpaper gently pasted up by the likes of THE BLACK & WHITES and GREGALDUR barely registers) but there are other gatecrashers here who deserve a good right-hander and bundling into a waiting taxi as soon as possible. To this end, we need to round up the irritating dicking around and found sounds of FRED DUTCH, the beyond-inchoate ramblings of LES CLUB DES CHATS and VINCENT OLIVER'S 'Clouds In The Haed' (sic) which was apparently inspired by Nicole Kidman but sounds like The Postal Service with their batteries running down.
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Elsewhere, though, there are a clutch of tasty treats lurking in the recesses of L-O-A-F'S fridge. CALIN'S brilliant 'Money Poney' (sic) is surely the best poverty-fuelled synth-y film theme ever. CURSOR MINER'S 'Never Been Seen' comes across as a British cousin of Beck's 'One Foot In The Grave' and NICO-TEEN'S headily ethereal 'Bring It Home' even brings a dash of Joe Meek-ish DIY grandeur into play. SUPERTALENTED'S all-too-brief 'Fax Me', meanwhile, is a sultry, Nico-style anthem for the SMS generation, while OMO'S superb 'Advantage' is so minimalist and pristine it's almost squeaky clean. Imagine The Native Hipsters, but obsessed with the Wimbledon Tennis championship rather than Concord and you're almost there.
'Domestic Pop', then, is a strange, but largely endearing collection of homespun talents who can always be found in the kitchen at parties. Between them, they have a tendency to break more eggs than may be strictly necessary, but their curious little omelettes are often surprisingly tasty. You could do worse than to succumb to their low-key culinary charm.
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