The Empty Set – As Neat As A New Pin

The Empty Set are Tommy Ogden (singer, songwriter, guitar-type instruments) and Dan Simons (violin). They are joined here by Jacob Maddams from Popular Workshop (drums, other percussion-type instruments, production). As Neat As A New Pin is their first proper release (currently available to buy online at Tough Love Records, not in shops for a few months) and it is also almost certain to be the lost indie-pop classic of the year. The only thing that can possibly prevent their success now as incredible future forgotten gems that discerning indier-than-thous dig up and put on is if a lot of people actually buy it. (which they should, it's really really good)The Empty Set know their indie-pop, and like the Magnetic Fields, their easiest reference point (along with Belle & Sebastian), they have an obvious love of both classical songwriting and 80's pop music. Evidence of this is amply provided with the album in the form of the two covers on it, of 'Some Candy Talking' and Cole Porter's 'You're The Top' respectively. Other than this the record is unfortunately short, coming in at 28 minutes with just seven original songs actually by the band, and four of those 28 minutes are taken up by a remix (the Empty Set following The Organ in utilising the equation really good album + too short = may as well end with a remix). This isn't a problem though because it's all so good, and also understaying your welcome is an amazing gift (particularly for all you short attention span fans like meeeee... actually I'm not really a fan I just have one, I wish I had a longer attention span so then I could 'get' drone).I've been a fan of the Empty Set for oohhhhhhhh, god knows how long (long), and in my various attempts at banging on about them and trying to engage people with their brilliance I've lived with most of these songs for a long time now, but it's lovely to hear them rendered in perfect, actual-drums-and-stuff-and-all clarity. The pop hits are 'A Challenge to Copernicus' ("by now I'm quite sure Copernicus was wrong, it's around you my universe revolves") and 'Alice and Bob (Forlorn Photon Love)' (about two photons in love, or something). On these songs, Tommy Ogden's gift for weaving maths-and-science-geek type themes around a literate-twee aesthetic is at its most apparent. "Every night the stars come out and hang above you winking, you think they're all innocent but I know what they're thinking" ('Copernicus' again). 'My Girl's On The Other Side Of The World' is also a potential big pop hit, bouncy with handclaps and words like: "we got chucked out of various bars."But fun twee lovelorness is not all the Empty Set do - they also do slow twee lovelorness, like on opener 'Portia, I Dreamt You Were Real' which is about falling in love with a fictional character and the 'Heroin' viola drone-aping 'George, You Must Write Better' which hinges on the delightful premise of girls being attracted to neat handwriting (which I'm glad they're not actually because I can barely read my own handwriting nowadays). So you might be thinking by now that the Empty Set have it all. And you'd be right, they do. So you have no excuse whatsoever for at least not listening to their music.Also, the album has really good artwork where Tommy and Dan are depicted doing things like pretending to have a pistol fight and falling in love with androgynous-looking girls. So everybody wins. 88%The Empty Set on MySpace