Tilly and the Wall
Sing Songs Along

Why is it that whenever somebody mentions Tilly And The Wall I always think of the Polyphonic Spree? I mean, they don't wear clerical robes, there's only five of 'em and their songs don't all sound the same...

Aha! Got it. The key word that binds the two is "novelty". Where the Spree had/have (depending on whether you did/still do care about them these days) the visual imagery of a sunny day Manson family, Tilly And The Wall are more revered for their tap dancing than their music.

Which is a shame, because if 'Sing Songs Along' is anything to go by, this lot are anything but another novelty act riding the crest of a ballerina's toecap. Instead, their strongest assets are the tunes, and even though this is in a similar happy-go-lucky vein as the aforementioned 23 piece, it has hidden depths beyond the sickly sweet veneer of "the world is great - everything's wonderful!" nonchalence that makes this record more exciting than a day out at Chessington Zoo.