Biggles Flys Again: Remember Saturday

Biggles Flys Again has nothing to do with WE Johns’ old-school pilot hero. Instead it’s the solo work of The Gandhis’ Conor Deasy and, thankfully, it’s far less pretentious than the name suggests, deliberate misspelling and all. Astute indie pop is the order of the day, as Deasy creates a debut album of lovely, Beatles-esque melodies and quirky lyrics, arranged with a warmth and care that oozes from each chord.

It begins with birdsong, as the sleepy-eyed, contemplative ‘Morning’ slowly blossoms into focus, on waves of fuzziness and general good vibes. It’s an unfussy beginning that sets the tone for the entire album, which seems effortlessly catchy, from the lovely ‘la la la’ backing vocals and chug-a-lug guitar of ‘Singalong’ to the electro leanings of ‘Old Pop Song’. The beautiful ‘Chambers’ soars on wings of fuzzy guitar and layered vocals that will appeal to Arcade Fire devotees everywhere; ‘Imaginary Fire’ has Deasy channelling his inner Morrissey to good effect; while the whispered, dreamlike ‘Last Song Of The Night’ demands to be listened to on headphones, again and again.
The piano-driven ‘Friends’ is a catchy, uptempo affair, a paean to male companionship, complete with Hammond licks: “If you have to emigrate or I marry someone that you really hate /Well I hope that we can still be friends.” It’s seriously radio-friendly stuff. But then, so is most of the album, as the Gandhis man knows his way around a middle-eight.
In terms of lyrics there’s a certain wide-eyed innocence on show, even when the arrangements threaten to out-baroque Neil Hannon (‘A Simple Plan’). This lack of cynicism is generally welcome, but ‘Library’ is a step too far, even for this recent re-convert to the state-sponsored book lenders. Deasy’s ode to libraries is so off that even Jonathan Ross would describe it as the number between two and four. Thankfully, however, this is a rare bum note on an otherwise assured debut.

Key Track: ‘Last Song Of The Night’