SIMON FELTON ~ SURRENDER, DOROTHY!

Simon Felton functioned otherwise as a singer from Garfields Birthday and leads the label Pink Hedgehog Records. On his second solo work Surrender, Dorothy! (without CD-R's) it becomes of Al Strawbridge (Schnauser) and Anton Barbeau supports. The ten songs show the Englishman close in sound to the Times, TV Personalities, Teenage Fanclub or Martin Newell. The prelude 'Peepshow', which offers indiepop with a shot of psychedelia, sounds charming and above all in usual. Just as charmingly and in-usually the second song 'Marbles' sounds. The following sets still for the one drauf. 'Surprise' has apart from its careful kind a killer chorus. Do I hear a hit here? The otherwise flowing sounding 'Lying Down'. A kratzige guitar interrupts this river. 'Psychedelia Smith', somewhat further, leaves in the positive sense memories of the blessed July becomes awake. And in the conclusion 'Day Dreams & Broken Bones' one means to hear occasionally Pink Floyd. And before I forget it, Surrender, Dorothy! still another trace is better than the first solo album of Simon Felton. (8/10)

(Babel online translation)

Reviewed in Swiss Records by Robert Pally, Switzerland

As with 2009's Failing in Biology, the new album by Simon Felton finds him ably assisted not only by Al Strawbridge of Schnauser but also by Anton Barbeau, resoundingly and deservedly bigged up elsewhere this issue. It's a combination that pays dividends all over the place, matching wry, sprightly songcraft to brawny performances - witness 'Novelty' and 'Marbles' - and an agreeably mesmerising soft psych overlay occupying an invaluable niche in the mix. Comfortably spreadeagled on the rolling uplands of sunshine pop - nihilistic saturnine album closer 'Day Dreams & Broken Bones' honourably excepted - Surrender, Dorothy! marks a new-found confidence where Simon's gentle vocals are concerned, particularly so on the bittersweet 'Finally' and the mellifluous, almost torchy 'Slowing Down'. 'Surprise', meantimes, is a song with such innate classic-pop smarts that Squeeze ought by rights to be banging on Simon's door any minute now, demanding their mojo back.

Reviewed in Shindig! by Marco Rossi, UK

Simon Felton will be well known to readers of these reviews, and here comes his second solo album Surrender, Dorothy! which features none other than psycher-than-thou US dude Anton Barbeau, whose recent Psychedelic Mynde Of Moses is a great little album. Opener 'Peepshow' nails Felton's indie-psych colours to the mast, with tricksy backwards effects, indie guitars and Felton's very own lugubrious vocals, while uptempo bopper 'Marbles' mixes tunefulness with wistful lyrics; only two and a half minutes, so I expect that'll be the single. 'Surprise' is soft and subtle, 'Lying Down' is a kind of waltztime lament, while 'Finally' changes the audio palette for acoustic guitar, tinkling bells and mournful vocals; I detect the hand of Mr Barbeau here on production duties. 'Novelty' is nostalgic and tuneful - another single! - and 'Slowing Down' reminded me of some of the slower Pugwash songs; great cut, this. A 'sixties flute 'tron opens 'Compatible' to retro-ears, while 'Psychedelia Smith' is another track with Barbeau's fingers all over it. The album closes with a surprisingly dark song, 'Day Dreams & Broken Bones.' This is certainly the most engaging release so far from the house of the pink hedgehog, and is recommended.

Reviewed at Terrascope, UK

Since he began working outside the confines of his band Garfields Birthday, Pink Hedgehog owner Felton has really been hitting his stride as a singer/songwriter, with each LP being better than the last. Surrender is no exception. Backed by the Lucky Bishops’ Alan Strawbridge and fellow psych-pop iconoclast Anton Barbeau, Felton channels four decades of British acid pop into a half hour of irresistible bittersweetness. From the folky 'Compatible' to the bright 'Novelty' and the swirling 'Lying Down', Felton effortlessly keeps the should-be hits coming.

Reviewed at The Big Takeover by Michael Toland, USA

Certainly one of the best of all the rising indie U.K. labels, Pink Hedgehog Records have a splendid new album from label head Simon Felton called Surrender, Dorothy!. The Wizard Of Oz analogy notwithstanding, Surrender, Dorothy! takes things out there on an album that blends Beatle-esque rock circa the White Album with the dreamier element of say early ‘70s Lou Reed and Velvet Underground circa Loaded. Felton has overseen some fine releases as the PH label chief and on this 2011 album with Alan Strawbridge (guitarist and composer of Schnauser) and California born / U.K. based cult-music favorite Anton Barbeau, this fine trio of pop mavens blends some righteous energy on the second solo album from Simon Felton.

Reviewed at Music Web Express by Robert Silverstein, USA

This is the second solo record from Garfields Birthday’s Simon Felton. His last solo CD, Failing In Biology, was a notable nugget of smart Brit pop. Felton marches along the same track on Surrender, Dorothy!, constructing careful melodies augmented with airy harmonies and psychedelic overtones. The hooks take longer to sink in than last time and the abundance of slower tracks is going to make some people yawn. On the other hand, there is some more sizzling guitar work to be found – check out the solo on 'Peepshow' for example. The main attraction is the pop perfection in 'Marbles', and 'Novelty' is another highlight I’d encourage you to check out. Recommended for fans of The Smiths, XTC, and The Divine Comedy.

Reviewed at Bill's Music Forum, USA

Splice a brace of old Double White discards with some endearingly clunky melodies and you've got late sixities psyche-pop trying to writhe into the trousers that Neil Innes has just shat in. Younger viewers will be bored shitless to learn that swirly old swooshing is the cutting edge of the new front ear, or, frontier. So, an albums worth of reined in Anton Barbeau glitter-glued to Simon Felton and his fine, if unremarkable singer-songwriter stuff it is. Dorothoy Surrender! is a fine, light salad to the ox roast of the Idle Race album Birthday Party, which means that it's head and neck ahead of the feckless shit-slick that you may know as 'pop'.

Reviewed at Unpeeled by Shane O'Leary, UK

Simon Felton, the uberleutnant of Pink Hedgehog Records has returned with his second solo CD, following on from the 2009 release Failing in Biology. That was a rather nice set of psych pop songs, and working on the principle that it ain't broke, there's more of the same here, albeit with a few more reflective ballads than in the days of yore. Age must be catching up with him, just like the rest of us. To aid him in his quest for the elusive sound of sixties classic psych, he's brought along Alan Strawbridge from Schnauser and American psych guitarist Anton Barbeau to do most of yer actual playing, while himself concentrates on the singing. And it really is rather splendid, especially when Mr Strawbridge goes a bit mentalist on the keyboard side, throwing mellotrons, wurlizters and synths as and when required. It's probably more commercial than his main gig with Garfield's Birthday, and there's a barrowload of tunes here, that would sound great on the radiogram, if only there were any shows left to play proper music (although you may want to investigate my Eclectic Mix show towards the end of September on GRTR Radio - egotistical plug out).

The best of the bunch are the poptastic 'Marbles' and 'Surprise', but I did find myself warming to the ballads after a few repeat plays, with 'Slowing Down' probably just edging out 'Finally' as my favourite. Overall, it's not a million miles away from his first CD, and if you didn't buy that one, then you are even more of a mug than I thought. It's tasteful, proper grown up music, but with enough left field arrangements to keep the more arty farty folks on board. With at least half a dozen songs on repeat play, you should do yourself a favour and check it out. You can buy the CD from Amazon or get it direct from Mr Felton so he can hold on to more of your cash.

Reviewed at Zeitgeist by Stuart Hamilton, UK

And now for something completely different (Yes, of course we are all big Python fans!) there is the power pop of our old friend Simon Felton whose Pink Hedgehog label has started again (cheering news!). I’ve heard a lot of Simon’s music over the years and while not prog rock of course it has enough adventure and ambition about it to tickle any prog fancier’s ears. Backed by Anton Barbeau and Alan Strawbridge Surrender, Dorothy! is without a shadow of a doubt Simon’s best yet. The clever arrangements of the two openers ‘Peepshow’ (nice backwards guitar and bass playing!) and (losing my) ‘Marbles’ (‘I think I’m possibly losing my mind, too many things to do all the time’ many of us can identify with- great retro guitar as well) do real justice to Simon’s superbly crafted song writing. It is in comparing ‘Surprise’ here to the version on 2009’s Symmetry that reveals the difference- great though that was the synth arrangement underpinning the 2011 version lifts it and bestows it with a new confidence.

Electric piano, shimmering organ and crackling guitar also combine to provide wonderful colouring to the music adding to the piquancy of tortured ballad ‘Lying Down’. ‘Slowing Down’ is another great ballad that shows the development in Simon’s writing. ‘Compatible’ is a clever song that you can imagine getting a lot of airplay in the hands of, say, The Beautiful South (Listen out for the mellotron!) I was looking forward to hearing ‘Psychedelia Smith’ and I wasn’t disappointed. With Ant Barbeau on board I guess a foray in psych was inevitable and it adds an extra dimension. The hypnotic ‘Day Dreams & Broken Bones’ is equally irresistible. Ten songs in all, Surrender, Dorothy! is superbly played and arranged pop and psych exactly the way it should be, nostalgic but not cloying, powerful but not overstated, an aural treat that demands and deserves maximum exposure and support.

Reviewed in Acid Dragon by Phil Jackson, France

Pink Hedgehog head honcho, Simon Felton (Garfield's Birthday) follows up his solo debut with the help of label mates Alan Strawbridge (Schnauser) and cult hero Anton Barbeau. Strawbridge's psychedelic influence really paints the pop of 'Marbles' and other tracks with his distinct reverse guitar and organ touches. Felton's quintessential casual British vocal keeps things moving along on the groovy 'Surprise', it sounds very much like the pysch-pop of The Pillbugs. A sad croon is present on the mellow 'Finally' and fans of sixties "toytown" era pop (The Idle Race, The Mindbenders) will love the ironically titled 'Novelty'. The ballads here have never been better, and the brilliant 'Slowing Down' is one of the best written songs here. The album devolves into Pink Floyd/Moody Blues styled naval gazing on the last several tracks, but fans of psychedelia will be in nirvana.

Reviewed at Powerpopaholic by Aaron Kupferberg, USA

Sophomore solo effort from Garfield’s Birthday leader focuses on his vocal stylings, leaving most of the instrumental backing to labelmates, Al (Lucky Bishops) Strawbridge and Anton Barbeau. Felton has an emotive voice that perfectly suits his power poppish tunes, which occasionally remind of vintage Squeeze. ‘Marbles’ and ’Surprise’ are obvious hits, but ‘Finally’, ‘Compatible’, and ‘Slowing Down’ reveal a gift for tender, romantic ballads that greatly expands his musical palette. Get these tunes in Robbie Williams’ hands and Mr. Felton will be a very rich man! Backwards pianos, swirling synths, and groovy mellotrons and wurlitzers, prevent the tunes from miring in a repetitive rut, and Strawbridge’s unobtrusive production keeps things moving along at a light and airy pace. Felton still has a great gift for composing catchy ear candy that sticks in the head for days and Surrender Dorothy! will be stuck in my CD player all summer.

Reviewed in Happening by Jeff Penczak, UK