What was the last band you came across with the temerity to put their best tracks on the B-side (The Smiths? Prefab Sprout?). Suffice to say Captain come from a long tradition of outstanding British bands who set off into the world with more good tunes than seems fair.
There is a gap in the market for a band where the female vocal is every bit as present and vital as the male lead and Captain have come to fill it. Whilst capable of the measured beauty of say Prefab Sprout, Captain bring the equal boy/girl appeal into play with some prickly frustration waiting to explode too. The soaring clarity of co-singer Clare's voice is sometimes like a lozenge to the rough-edged strains of lead singer Riky Flyn. At other times it is also reaching for the top of its range. At the moment the band have one or two things to prove, but when recognition allows some relaxation this is a winning combination which you can imagine being used to devastating hit record effect in the future (an xmas single duet perhaps ?!!!)
What makes Captain extra special though is there secret weapon. His name is Marios Anthanasiou and his guitar playing owes more to Brian Eno than to Jimmy Hendrix. It is rare that you find a guitarist making such a distinct sound, clearly his own. Whilst nothing like the Edge or Cocteau Twins, it really is that identifiable.
The potential of Captain is to make the sort of album you will listen to incessantly, give a rest for 3 months, then come back to with even greater enthusiasm. Their immediacy shines through in these two punchy tunes. The 'B' side 'Why Wait' is the better track with the plain spooky atmospherics of Anthanasiou's guitar strains offsetting a groove which is pure swing. It's catchy without being deliberate and leaves you humming the line 'I wouldn't worry'.
These two tracks mark the start of something really good for pop music, but having seen the band perform live, I can assure you - there is better to come.
