Stephen Jones, Babybird mastermind and alleged sexual deviant, is a fine example of how a hit single can ruin a promising career. When ‘You’re Gorgeous’ first charted in 1996 he couldn’t have foreseen that it would reach the Top 3, or that it would remain in the nation’s memory for over ten years as an indie anthem of epic proportions. It’s surely no coincidence that ‘Between My Ears’ is his first output for six years. He must be hoping that the world has finally forgotten his five minutes of fame, and might just be ready for something new.
Fortunately he hasn’t lost his magic touch while he’s been away. Opening track ‘Too Much’ suggests a mellower Jones than the one we saw ten years ago, before ‘Dive’ explodes like a saccharine-coated bomb and makes it clear that he’s lost none of his pop bite. Other highlights include warped love song ‘Lighter ‘n’ Spoon’ and the stuttering, understated ‘Beautiful Place’, its soaring finale showing that he’s lost none of his lightness of touch, either.
Combining a tuneful pop sensibility with a restless desire for innovation, Jones deserves to be considered as a homegrown answer to Beck, complete with the obligatory sexual perversions and occasional sampled beats. Having been absent from the stereos of the nation for six years, though, Babybird might have to win our hearts all over again. This might just be the album to do it.