Debut album 'Never Gonna Touch The Ground' showed us that Sean Rawls and his vast collective of helpers were capable of mixing a plethora of styles from new romantic to reggae to post-punk to create an eclectic brand of indiepop that occasionally bordered on the novelty but was always a heap of summery fun. This anything goes approach has changed little on Still Flyin's second effort. New-wave basslines and 80s pop synths are combined with a hotch-potch of beats and uplifting tunes that are best served sun-drenched. The tempo isn't allowed to drop and they retain the fun factor of the first album, but minus any novelty aspect.
In essence 'On A Bedroom Wall' is a new-wave record that's been given some shades and a Hawaiian shirt and plonked in front of an azure blue sea. 'Elsie Dormer' and 'Spirits' take similar base components to The Cure or early New Order, but here the elastic bass and retro electronic beats have an altogether lighter feel than the pop-noir that those two created. Single 'Travelling Man' is like someone's taken a photo of Goth and is showing us the negative: it sounds like Goth, but night is turned to day. 'Big Trouble In Little Alabama' adds a sprinkling of The Postal Service to their joyous indie blueprint.
There's a touch of variety in the stop/start funk of 'Clear Talking' and the pure 80s pop of 'Camouflage Detection', whereas electronic dreampop is visited successfully on 'Surrender To Me'. The tinkling 'Take These Streets' and the tropical flavoured 'Candlemaker' both have single potential and 'Jacket In July' could be a metaphor for their approach to music. Looking to big coated new-wave bands such as Echo & The Bunnymen but dragging their sound away from the fog and towards the beach. 'On A Bedroom Wall' is a good solid album without really containing any particularly exceptional tracks, but that shouldn't serve as a warning, because anyone looking for a stack of inventive, feel-good indiepop tunes will be more than happy giving this lot a spin.
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