Betika

"Head Smashed In By The Boy/Girl Thing" CD

Superglider Records

Genres: indie pop, dream pop, acoustic pop

Superglider
First Floor
123 Old Christchurch Road Bournemouth
BH1 1EP, UK

May 19 - 25 2003

How can anybody not like Betika's Head Smashed In By The Boy/Girl Thing?  A whole eight songs of delicate, beautiful acoustic pop never hurt anyone, and it would be futile to deny yourself the pleasure of the terrifically-written pop contained on this disc.

Starting with a Belle and Sebastian influenced mellow pop number, "I've Been in an Accident," this album shifts into relaxation mode and never quits.  Gems like "One Day My House Will Be Flooded" and "Dance And Scream" are plentiful; the former in this case is a dreamily sparse pop tune, the latter a Nick Drake-tinged folk-pop number.

Two of the eight songs on this disc are previously unavailable "bonus tracks," but instead of being unnecessary and monotonous like extra tracks usually are, they actually add something to Head Smashed In...  "Which Way Will I Go," for example, is a cheery pop number with a less acoustic sound than the rest of the album, and "Hunting With Dogs," which finishes the CD off, is an adorable pop number somewhere in the vein of Mojave 3.

Overall, this is a fantastic album that can be enjoyed by anyone.  If you like mellow, delicate dream pop, then Betika's Head Smashed In By The Boy/Girl Thing could become your new favourite album.

88%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 8 songs, distributed by the label, released 2001]