Careless talk costs lives, August 2002

The Stars of Aviation are a just a handful of letters and one hit single away from outdoing the Carpenters. Why? Well, the full title is Stars of Aviation Are Singing About The Summer, But Is It Going To Be Sunny, Carol? The longest-ever title of a hit single was Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (The Recognised Anthem of World Contact Day) by The Carpenters. (I say was because my Guinness Book of Hit Singles is from 1995 and there's probably been a TV cash cow thrusting a troop of Tommy Cooper impersonators into the charts with I Went To The Doctor And Said Doctor When I Do This It Hurts And He Said - And You'll Like This - Well Don't Do It Then since.) But the Stars are not The Carpenters, although in my perfect world this would be a hit single. Carol sounds like Grandaddy used to, only British, and inspired by June and poetry, not dunes and peyote. It is gorgeous.

soundsxp, May 2002

Saunter into Summer with the Stars of Aviation. A lovely, lazy, Belle and Sebastian tinged number with a carnival French feel, all sweet acoustic guitars, tinkly keyboards and fuzzy keyboards. A perfect song for long twilight evenings. Maybe still available in a hand-painted limited edition of 40.

Robots and Electronic Brains, May 2002

Stars of Aviation Are Singing About The Summer, But Is It Going To Be Sunny, Carol? is inspired by Look East, the local BBC news programme in this neck of the woods. At least, the full title is, the rest is inspired by a curiously British take on Grandaddy's desert songs. It is gorgeous.