Scouse sextet The Coral's strange, but idiosyncratically infectious pop was one of the unlikely (but sublime) pop successes of 2002, and - naturally - their success was bound to wedge open the door for more kooked-out, spliff-addled 'Pool pretenders to slip through.
Seeing as they've also signed to The Coral's Deltasonic label, and are based within the Merseyside environs, it's tempting to pigeonhole THE ZUTONS as an inevitable by-product and probably a pale facsimile when scrutinised.
However, the two songs featured on the second single by this cheeky quintet would suggest that coat-tail riding is the last thing The Zutons need to be wasting time upon as they obviously inhabit a fertile dreamworld all their own.
"Creepin' An' A Crawlin'" is a great way to set the ball rolling, proffering oddball, parched acoustic folk-pop with a doo-wop element (no, really - don't panic!) and enriched by new addition Abi Harding's economically groovy saxophone. Call it desert kookabilly, call it low-rent Beefheart (with a typically Scouse aversion to finishing words with 'g', natch), but whatever you do, don't call the doctor, la'. This is great.
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Flipside, "Rambling Man" is even pottier, if anything. Again assembled around a sparse, acoustic railroad waltz pattern (with Steptoe-style clip-clopping for good measure) and elements of Fez-tastic Egyptian reggae, it's another unlikely sleepy success.
Its' too early to make proclamations from the rooftops after exposure to a mere two songs, but under ten minutes in The Zutons' spaced-out, but addictive sensurround is enough to convince you they're filled with mucho (Eastern) promise. Consider our interest piqued.
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