Grand National are London duo Rupert Lyddon and Lawrence Rudd, whose 2004 album Kicking The National Habit established a dreamy kind of lazy electronicalaced folk-pop. To fill the gap before their next album, A Drink & A Quick Decision, they’ve whipped up a compilation throwing together hard-to-find early B-sides such as Rub Your Potion and Leaves from the rare Talk Amongst Yourselves CD single, and rarities such as Criminal, from their limited debut EP. The harmonised vocals can sound like 60s folk rockers, 80s electro-poppers in balladic mode, or even Gilbert O’Sullivan on downers: perfect summer afternoon deckchair lolling, in keeping with label boss Rob Da Bank’s admirable life-in-the-slow lane philosophy.
A certain state of mind and body (preferably horizontal) is necessary to fully appreciate this music: tracks such as Rabbit Facts can seem quite bland unless you’re fully immersed in them. The two remixes inject a welcome dose of meaty bass testicles and floorfriendly groove, with The Glimmers attaching swinging electro-boogie bollocks to Play In The Distance, while Sasha gives Talk Amongst Yourselves a new prog-house vamp and his customary widescreen string sheen. A useful stopgap for fans.
