Birdie Some Dusty LP

After meeting in 1992 as members of St Etienne's touring band, Debsey Wykes (Dolly Mixture) and Paul Kelly (East Village) turned their shared love of the soft rock and sunshine pop of the 1960s and 1970s into the now-legendary Birdie. In the summer of 1998 Birdie recorded their debut album Some Dusty with the estimable Brian O'Shaughnessy (Denim, Moose, The Clientele). It's a deep and beautiful album, with melodic and sophisticated (yet understated) arrangements providing the perfect setting for Debsey's sweet and soulful soft-pop vocals. Add in gorgeous string arrangements from The High Llamas' Sean O'Hagan and you have all the makings of a pop classic.

Subsequent singles and a second album cemented their reputation as top-notch purveyors of pop, but family life and other artistic pursuits called and Birdie has only been sporadically active since 2001. Their brief but perfectly-formed discography has become the stuff of legend, though, charming savvy pop fans around the world with its timeless songcraft and flawless production.

Summer 2024 sees the long overdue vinyl reissue of Some Dusty on US indie label Slumberland Records, returning this classic album to much-needed availability in deluxe remastered form with a deluxe '60s-style laminated heavy card jacket and a fine insert with rare photos and liner notes by Chickfactor's Gail O'Hara.

The album evokes a simpler, better musical era with uncommon acuity. Any one of the disc's highlights (the first three tracks, 'Laugh,' 'Dusty Morning,' and 'Let Her Go,' respectively, are all particularly splendid) wouldn't sound at all out of place on a '60s girl-group retrospective — compliments just don't come much higher than that.