Rob me a colour, make the sound duller, but never go away

Word reaches these ears that new Prefab Sprout product will be hitting the record shops this autumn. The album is called, with admirable understatement, Let’s Change The World With Music and I’m sure it will enrich lives throughout the shires of Merrie England. I recommend this group to all hipsters. I suppose the starting point for anyone investigating Prefab Sprout would be the 1985 classic long player, Steve McQueen which contains the peerless When Love Breaks Down and the delicate and almost fragrant Appetite. Howe’er, other LPs by the combo are even more treasured by this punter. The 1984 debut album Swoon remains a key component in the Cole record collection; it is oblique, wordy, difficult and takes a good half dozen plays to ‘get’ but once it’s under the skin it stays there. Swoon is an old and treasured friend, purchased after hearing the opening track Don’t Sing on The Tube. I salute it. Protest Songs is a fabulous album too, a whimsical and breathy collection of songs full of warmth and joy. And Andromeda Heights is a favourite as well; any punter requiring a superior collection of sumptuous pop delirium should seek out this underrated and almost forgotten record. This is an eccentric, arty and enthralling group. This is an eccentric, arty and enthralling group.