Cheerleaders is the debut album from Kugelschreiber the new band led by Sharon Fortnam from Led Bib and the North Sea Radio Orchestra et al who has gathered some of her friends including Chip Cummings, James Larcombe, Mike Vennart, Rob Crow, Chris Williams, Sarah Measures, Emily Jones, Peter Grogan, Mark Holub and Liran Donin to become Kulgelschrieber, the album was engineered by Jesse Cuts and mastered by Chris Binns.
The album opens with the naive sounding Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoe that has a twee folk feeling similar to Wookalily or Woodpecker Walliams or the album Bjork recorded with Mount Wittenburg Orca.
Elasticine works around a malleable bassline and Sharon Fortnam's vocals that are trying to find ways to stretch things, till they work perfectly together once more, until towards the end everything breaks down to a minimal conclusion as the Elasticine has obviously snapped.
Fuck Symmetry was the albums main single, that doesn't use the title in the lyrics, so is radio friendly for this slightly off love song that hopes to show that to be really in love symmetry is the last thing to look for, as the vocal harmonies bewitch bringing colour and feeling.
Harold Lloyd is super sparse bucolic folk song thanking Harold for saving her over and over again, like she is the damsel in distress, the vocal harmonies start to work, this sounds like it should be sung in a huge echoing church.
No Glittering Promises is a nicely askew twee pop anthem, that has more urgency to it, while all sorts of promises get broken again, while sounding a lot like Suggested Friends.
(Me x U)=(UxMe) the other single on the album is one of loves great equations being taken apart and put back together, to make a perfect fit, among the chiming guitar and semi muffled percussion.
Medals is slowly played bass with cymbal crashes, with vocals that sound like they are being sung sitting crossed legged in a forest clearing, this almost has a freak folk edge to it.
Truth Will Out Of Me is sparing restrained look at the danger of a phrase like Truth Will Out, how it can change perceptions in damaging ways, will you escape being buried under the assumptions made to come to that truth.
The Sun Rose has that early morning you've been up all-night feel, in a very folky kind of way, you welcome the dawning of a new day, that will leave you ready to fall asleep in an hour or so.
The album closes with Hold On, Space Cadet! An uplifting indie folk song in favour of all of us happy Space cadets and all we get up too.
Find out more at https://www.kugelschreiber.co.uk/ https://kugelschreiber.bandcamp.com/album/cheerleaders https://www.facebook.com/kugelschreiber2023
