CD: Bosco Rogers - Post Exotic

Anyone looking for some psychedelic pop to at least give the illusion that we might now actually be in the middle of summer could do much worse than try out the debut album by Anglo-French duo Bosco Rogers.

Their 21^st century twist on the Monkees’ good grooves is just what the doctor ordered, and Barth Corbelet and Del Vargas’s sun-drenched harmonies and catchy, fuzzy guitars are guaranteed to generate big smiles and some serious rump-shaking from even the most unconfident of dancers.

Post Exotic comes straight out of the traps with a bucket load of swagger and the knowing smirk of “Anvers”. “I think I’d better take my soul and sell it to the cops for a pot of gold” they croon to an uplifting B-52s-esque wig-out, and all is good with the world. “Beach! Beach! Beach!” lays down some groovy organ and surf guitar sounds that point emphatically to the dance floor, while “Drinking for Two” comes on like Arthur Lee’s Love with their dancing shoes on. This self-produced cracker is no retro hoedown though, and Bosco Rogers’ kaleidoscopic vision is firmly rooted in the here and now. The anthemic new single, “True Romance”, even offers a knowing commentary on the pursuit of hedonism in a world that can look somewhat bleak – and what could be more current yet timeless than that?

As Barth Corbelet says, “I think the trick is to be aware of the world, but not get dragged down by the darkness that surrounds us. We prefer life.”  Post Exotic is certainly a sonic endorsement of that philosophy, and comes fully recommended to anyone who likes raucous psychedelia from the power pop end of the street.

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