Pitchfork

Recorded while on tour in Australia, "L. Wells" could have easily been an afterthought left to fill out one of those weird two-part British singles; instead, the band was confident enough in its charm to issue it as a second A on a double A-side. It's no wonder, as the track signals a further escape from the crowded new-new-wave scene toward something a bit less spastic and a little more Kinks-ish. The proper-name subject matter doesn't hurt the comparison-- L. is for Lindsey, a crimson-haired friend-of-the-band (not like that, ya perv) who gets a sunny diorama of a song written in her honor. With martial drums and a slow version of the riff from "Matinee", the Ferds pile on glockenspiel, organ, and harmonies to create their most loosely wound piece of pop to date. Maybe it's just the lingering effects of the Southern Hemisphere, but a little tan looks good on them.