STANLEY

Words by Toby Rogers

"Don't count your chickens 'cause they're never gonna hatch, you can't catch a monkey with a shotgun and a sack," sang Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown on the band's seminal indie funkathon "Something's Burning." Wise words. And the kind of surreal psychedelic statement that could easily find its way into the impenetrable lyrics of offbeat Scottish chamber-goth weirdos Stanley.

Sharing a title (well, nearly) with The Stone Roses anthem, Stanley's "Sumthin's Burnin" is about as far removed from Ian, John, Mani and Reni's Krautrock-infused psychedelic jam as it's possible to get. And that's no bad thing. While scores of British bands have spent the last twenty-odd years trying (and failing) to live up to The Roses' legend, this Aberdeen-based outfit have followed a different path entirely.

Taking its cue from the geeky strangeness of The Divine Comedy and Mike Flowers Pops, "Sumthin's Burnin" is a deliciously over-the-top easy listening-fuelled gem. More Frank Sinatra than Funkadelic, it's proof that diversity is still alive and well in British indie. Like Jarvis Cocker twisting Lewis Carroll-esque nonsense into a vintage music hall knees-up, "Sumthin's Burning" is nothing short of magnificent.

Today's tip comes courtesy of Lloyd Meredith from Peenko