It's good to know that
the Field Mice
are revered in various locales around the world. They really were a wonderful band and
the Snowdrops
keep their
indie pop
meets
synth pop
sound alive and well on their first EP, 2005's
Sleepydust
. Comprised of
Lovejoy
's
Dick Preece
,
Blueboy
and
Keith Girdler
, and
heroine
Pam Berry
(from too many groups to mention but currently
the Pines
), the trio isn't just aping
the Mice
; they have enough emotion, melodic knowhow, and songcraft to make something more than just an homage. The title track is the real gem here, a bubbling love song with perfectly lovely harmonies from
Girdler
Berry
as well as some cute-as-kittens fake handclaps. The 12" version of the song is much the same, but features more vocals from
-- which is always a good idea. The other
pop
tune on the disc (
"Too Cold to Snow"
"Teddy Dragons"
are short instrumentals) features
Preece
on vocals and is not as buoyant as
"Sleepydust,"
but still very good. The main thing missing in the song are vocals from
. The EP serves as a nice introduction to the group and a listen or two will have you eagerly awaiting a full-length release. ~ Tim Sendra