Album Notes

About Lo-tech solutions . . . Merchandise's new album Lo-tech Solutions to Hi-tech Problems has been gathering an embarrassment of adoring reviews. As the title suggests, the album is the result of duo Brad B Wood and Conrad Astley marrying luscious acoustic loveliness with all the wonders of the electronic age. And the marriage, as a host of reviewers and radio DJs have already noticed, is certainly a happy one, with tracks taken from it having caught the attention of good people everywhere. Blowback magazine wrote: "Merchandise make the kind of acoustic electronica that'd be the soundtrack to a summer picnic in Hyde Park, with cute animals frolicking in the sun. A whole album of beautiful music. The sound of pastoral idylls and eternal sunshine." Elsewhere, Gill Rickson of SBN Radio commented: "It's like someone got hold of Rae and Christian and made them cut up a Kings of Convenience album." Plenty more of these reviews can be found at www.cityscaperecords.co.uk. Beautiful Morning for a Bad Day and 14:53 are two of the stand-out tracks which have been turning reviewers' heads - gorgeous pop songs which see acoustic guitar riffs bouncing out of the speakers alongside lolloping drum loops, pristine piano motifs and Brad's understated vocals. Elsewhere the band step up the pace on tracks such as two-and-a-half minute bruiser Sunday Song and psychedelic burn-out Charlie Parker was a Hobo. The mournful piano balladry of Distil Disappointment and The Last Stand of Pucho Vasquez provide other surprises as does the stark warmth of Winter. Give Lo-tech Solutions a listen and you will surely agree with Tasty Fanzine that this is "Fantastic pop music." And so what do the reviewers think? - a few examples . . . "Twelve sparkling gems that briefly come into your life and quickly disappear as though like spirits. Simply perfect" - Losing Today "A collage of sounds, varied genres and a flawless talent for writing brilliant pop songs. Summer is finally here and Merchandise are the soundtrack." - Angryape "'Lo Tech Solutions...' paints Merchandise as a duo creatively sparking and with a pop-savvy second to none." -Logo Magazine "Merchandise make the kind of acoustic electronica that'd be the soundtrack to a summer picnic in Hyde Park, with cute animals frolicking in the sun. Two men's reflections on everyday life have never been so glorious. Totally pure, grandiose pop music that along with the title makes you wonder why we make our lives so complicated. The sound of pastoral idylls and eternal sunshine. A whole album of beautiful music." - Blowback Magazine "This is electronic music with evidence of a heart and soul." - Manchester Online/ Manchester Evening News. "This is the band that other contemporaries could be if they had the balls to sponge other musical influences. Lolloping drum loops and acoustic guitar riffs bounce around the room leaving you with a warming glow inside. Merchandise are a band that can not, and probably have no desire too, be labelled under any particular musical bracket other than their own unique one." - This is London "I've a feeling it could turn into love if you take the time to develop a meaningful relationship with Merchandise." - Vanity Project "This is truly a thing of beauty. A gem." - The Exclusive Fanzine "Not for them a musical template rendered dull by years of misuse. There's no doubt, Merchandise have got a touch of genius." - BBC Manchester "Summery pop music, oh yes! Merchandise seem to have a cheerily frank outlook on things in the same way that the Flaming Lips do." - Diskant "The whole album is a seamless pleasure." - Bolton Evening News "This album occasionally spills over with genius." - Indigo Flow "It's like someone got hold of Kings of Convenience and made them cut up a Rae and Christian album. Hooray for Merchandise!" - Gill Rickson SBN Radio "Too damn catchy by half. Excellent stuff. Lovely, lovely." -