Track Listing

1. Tales of Girls, Boys and Marsupials
2. Kill the Director
3. Moving to New York
4. Lost in the Post
5. Party in a Forest (Where's Laura?)
6. School Uniforms
7. Here Comes the Anxiety
8. Let's Dance to Joy Division
9. Backfire at the Disco
10. Little Miss Pipedream
11. Dr. Suzanne Mattox PHD
12. Patricia the Stripper
13. My First Wedding

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3662 in Music
• Released on: 2007-11-05
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
By now you will have probably heard of The Wombats--in particular their heavily rotated singles like "Let's Dance to Joy Division" (a song title that’s difficult to forget, or ignore) and ("Kill the Director"). Comprised of two Liverpudlians and a Norwegian, The Wombats--as their name and track titles suggest--indulge in a highly addictive type of ‘novelty-rock’ that’s edgy, well-produced--and more seriously infectious than that label would suggest. A Guide to Love ..., their debut album, is crammed to the rafters with fast-paced, catchy rock songs that offer wry lyrics and memorable sing-a-long choruses, and are fully intended to make you leap around the dancefloor. Think of Franz Ferdinand and the Kaiser Chiefs jamming with The Monkees and you won’t be far wrong. The album is surprisingly diverse though, ranging from the barbershop jam "Tales of Girls, Boys and Marsupials" to the disco beats of "Backfire at the Disco" and the catchy hooks of "Patricia the Stripper". Where this high-octane trio will go after such a cheery, brave opening gambit is anyone’s guess. Best to enjoy these jerky pop japes while they last. --Danny McKenna

NME - October 2007
"They seem to have stumbled upon the perfect formula for the indie-rock disco anthem...full of exhilirating punk-funk.. brilliantly fun. We suggest you enjoy The Wombats - because they are sure as hell going to be around for a while yet."

CD Description
Debut album from indie hopefuls The Wombats. A perky collection of sprightly indie pop anthems, this album is a must for fans of bands such as Good Shoes, The Futureheads and The Housemartins. Includes the single 'Let's Dance To Joy Division'.

Customer Reviews

Jolly, Catchy Pop!
With the current `rebellion' against the whole commercial indie pop rock movement, or whatever the `cool' are referring to it as this month, it would be easy to jump on the band wagon and give this album a torrent of criticism. However I found that I couldn't help but enjoy the debut offering from this scouse three-piece.

As you would expect from producer Stephen Harris, whose previous work includes Kula Shaker's `K' and Dave Matthew's Band's `Busted Stuff', this album seems to flow effortlessly between tight guitar riffs and cleverly placed harmonies track after track. From the opener `Tales of Girls, Boys and Marsupials', a 70 second track of A cappella repetitive, yet elegant vocals, you get a taster that this could be something interesting. This is followed by the band's first hit `Kill the Director' which, for all the over indulgence it took on our airwaves over the summer, I couldn't help but sing along to and tap my feet with, hopefully in time to energetic drumming!

The sound of the band seems to follow that very well trodden path of a number of the hard working British acts at the moment. But then this comes as no surprise from a band that has supported both the Kaiser Chiefs and Babyshambles. Front man Matthew Murphy's narrative lyrics tell the tales of an upbringing which in some cases, for example `School Uniforms' which tells us of Murphy's first interest in the opposing sex, the listener can relate to. Murphy mixes it up a bit though with stories that perhaps, are not to relative to the audience, like `Moving to New York' which was written after he saw his girlfriend of the time kiss another woman in a nightclub. These words and rhymes all seem to be well complimented by happy little guitars and keyboards, of Murphy's composition, throughout. Along with the fitting drums and bass lines from Dan Haggis and Tord Øverland-Knudsen respectively the tunes take good shape and make for easy listening.

As the tracks go by, the album seems to settle down into a certain `comfort zone' and you could easily draw comparisons to such bands as the Pigeon Detectives and Little Man Tate, albeit with different accents. However, who says this has to be such a bad thing? Whilst the upbeat little tunes won't leave you feeling like your whole life has changed; neither will they leave you thinking `what a waste of time'. Given a chance, this album will work its way inside your head and have you singing along and quite possibly dancing around your room, secretively as this may be. A good, fun record.

Great Debut....
I gambled on this CD, only having listened to Moving to New York on XFM...

Glad I did to be honest as it's a very honest and uplifting CD, one of the best I've heard since Snow Patrol's "Final Straw" and Hard-Fi's "Stars of CCTV". If you need a guide as to their sound, think the Arctics stirred with Blur and add a dash of Julian cope (Teardrop Explodes - ask your dad!)

The afore-mentioned Moving to New York is a superb single, with great guitars one of the album's rocking tracks. Let's Dance to Joy Division brings back memories and always raises a smile. There are some weaker tracks but overall there are a varied ensemble of original and lively songs on offer here.

Only a three-piece, the Wombats deliver a bigger sound than you'd think though they don't take themselves too seriously which is refreshing. There is every chance these cheeky chappies can mature into a successful indie-rock band and they shouldn't feel the need to be the next Arctic Monkeys....just be themselves. I will certainly look out for the next offering though their record label would no doubt have preferred a more edgy name!

Four stars...well deserved

Not bad really...
Probably won't go down as a classic, but catchy, witty and melodious. If you don't expect anything revolutionary, you'll get plenty out of this...