There are certain songs you can pin to very specific moments in your life, aren't there? Little moments and feelings that come flooding back when you hear those tunes a few years later are worth so much sometimes, and this is why I'm so grateful that MJ Hibbett & the Validators have put this album together.Why? Because every time I hear 'Billy Jones is Dead' I find my mind spinning back to late nights in 2005 at our tiny flat in the Arboretum, keeping the student neighbours awake (anarchy!) with our singing, and playing guitar on a hobby horse.
And every time I hear 'Leave My Brother Alone' I think back to countless times I've seen the band play this masterpiece live and how I've fought back the tears, just in case anyone thought, y'know, I could be affected by something so emotional yet, brilliantly, unaffected.
And every time I hear 'Let the Weird Band Win' I remember that Hibbett is one of the greatest lyricists of the last decade, and those that write him off as a "comedian" are missing the point somewhat tragically.
There are other gems here, namely: 'Never Going Back to Aldi's', 'The Primal Rhythms of the Nose Flautist' and Graffiti on the Cenotaph', which would make my Validators top 20. And these are the cast-offs, the b-sides - these are supposed to be the afterthoughts. And well, they aren't of course.
Not only that, but when you buy this album you get the chance to a bonus album of 23 even more rare rarities! Oh, ambassador...
As MJ Hibbett & the Validators' remarkable performance at this year's Indietracks showed us, here's a band that's as on top of its game as ever. Long may they continue to provide such cherished memories.
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