Dear CTA,

I hope this doesn’t come as a shock to you, but I feel I really must confess my true feelings; I’m holding you responsible for a dreadful loss in my life. I’m very sure I’ve lost bits and pieces of my mental processing capacity over this EP of yours. You see, I’ve listened to I Am The President of Your Fan Club (and Last Night I Followed You Home) about 27 times now. Thanks very much for sending it to me (and for the extra copy to give some lucky reader!) But honestly, I think I’ve gone down the rabbit hole or something, because I’ve been hearing tracks off it just about everywhere.

On Sunday when I tuned into The Waiting Room’s show on WOXY.com your song was the third one out. Back on June 5th I heard it on the Hype Machine’s page, …well me and about 40 other people “hearted” it – I hope that doesn’t get you on the dreaded list of “chart manipulators”! June 15th I swear I heard you on “BBC radio 6 Introducing with Tom Robinson”! Later on, I clicked on my usual morning blog read at Song, By Toad and there you were again. Well, you were trying to be there at least. We got you sorted in the end. And that very day, (what did you boys do, buy the whole freakin day in the UK? Is that even possible? How much?), I heard you on Steve Lamacq’s BBC Radio 1 In Music We Trust show.  Fuckin – A! I got your CD in my post box in early June and it’s currently stuck in my car’s player so when I get sick and tired of  “This American Life” on NPR it’s you who get me back on track. Oh that’s not all… I’m begining to think you all are stalking me because it started way back in April when Jim Gellatly had you on his podcast at Radio Magnetic and  Brave New Frontiers featured you on their podcast as well. You didn’t know I was a huge Progressive Country fan, did ya? (oh, right, as you were stalking me, I guess you did know.)

Your record is the direct cause of my mental instability and you’ll have to pay somehow for it. Whether you’re in cahoots with my wifey or with the entire music playing populace of the UK, you’ve just about done me in. It would have all gone so much easier if I Am The President of Your Fan Club (and Last Night I Followed You Home) hadn’t turned out so well. That title track, … Matthew, couldn’t you have just croaked a little instead of singing? And those synths… gawd are they good on that! As far as indie-pop goes, well, the stops and starts in that song just kill me! Yeah, you pretend to be all innocent and unassuming, but I’m onto you. You know what you’re doing when you write a good pop song. “Late in the City” is another tricksy one, isn’t it? It pretends to be just this simple little ditty but each time I listen to it I hear some part that I didn’t pay attention to much before. Vocally smooth, with a keyboard riff that offsets a really good, moving bass beat, “Late in the City” might just be my favorite track. Yep, it’s very danceable. Then the whole thing turns a dark corner on ”Let’s Go Expo”.  It’s got a slow, confessional tone for most of the song and then just runs right off the track at the end. Building to a climax, there’s a nice soaring guitar bit and then a smooth let down with a gorgeous last note fade-out. Whew, do that to me again, ok?!?

So, CTA, just make me one promise? Give me fair warning before your next record comes out. I’m gonna need to take a long holiday to rest up for it and I’d like plan ahead.

mad as a hatter, but all yours,
xoxo
Tart

Cancel the Astronauts are (according to their MySpace page):
Matthew Riley – Vocals, Guitar, Songs and Tracksuit Trousers
Kieran McCaffrey – Guitar, Guitar and Guitar
Michael Craig – Synth, Worrying, looking awkward and Worst Hair
Neil Davidson – Bass and Height
Chris Kay – Drums and Vests

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