Two Birds One Stone PR

NME - 7/10

Like the loveable nerd from a US high-school movie, Mock Orange’s sixth album trips into your life with a mild-mannered, outsider adorability. “Song In D” bobs and swirls with the same oddball lure that’s seen the Indiana four-piece playing understudy to the likes of Built To Spill in the alt.rock theatre for over a decade, but “Motel Man” is custom-built for the homecoming parade, an all-American portion of chunky pop-rock. Maybe a career as underdogs is starting to grate, as it’s their most commercially-minded release to date. Toning down previous dabblings with Wilco-brand country-indie and syncopated punk rock, it unveils them as a Wheatus’ cooler older brothers. They’ve become middle-aged dirtbags, baby! Jaime Hodgson

Narc - 3/5

Mock Orange have been making music from Evansville, Indiana for more than a decade, and though this no doubt earns them a stake in the roots of American alt-pop it’s difficult to listen objectively without hearing echoes of their more successful contemporaries. There’s the fast marching drums and guitar twang of Modest Mouse, the helium-ingesting harmonies of The Shins, and the wide-eyed yet world-weary lyrics of The Flaming Lips. And that’s after just one listen of the opening track. But avoid seperating their constituent parts, allow the songs to do the talking and there is much to set them apart. The rich yet spacious production gives them a fresher and more human sound than any of the above bands. Frankly, for all those groups’ commercial and critical success over the last few years, you would expect to hear half the sonic invention and song-craft that Captain Love has to offer. The key ingredient is simply a sense of fun; take the reckless abandon of “Supergang” followed by the bounding optimism of “Motel Man”, for example. They’ve also got soul, with more than a hint of Bowie in singer Ryan’s deeper moments and the Ziggy-era, Ronson-esque guitars. It just goes to show, you can fill a stage with as many animals, aliens and Santa’s as you like (Wayne Coyne!!), but it won’t put as much of a smile on our face as the closing couplet of “Old Movies” and “Beauty of A Scar”; sounding like the best bits of leaving and coming back home. Matt Marlow

Latest7

Indiana four-piece Mock Orange have been releasing records since the late 90s, and with Captain Love have perhaps cemented themselves as the best underrated indie rock band in the west. Simply magnifiscent from start to finish, Mock Orange echo Alex Chilton and Big Star

AU - 8/10

Indiana’s Mock Orange have released three albums of wonderful, alternative pop-rock in the last 10 years, yet barely made a dent in the consciousness of the British and Irish media. This, their fourth, is an intelligent, melodic, college radio-friendly album of three-and-a-half minute gems in the mould of Spoon, Pavement or Guided By Voices. One listen to the joyous title track should soothe your exasperation with dour, colourless, UK acts like The Twang. You deserve to hear them and they deserve to be heard. Kenny Murdock

Artrocker

This is the fourth album in ten years from this Indiana quartet. It’s quintessential American indie. Captain Love is a lush orchestral pop album akin to The Shins or The Annuals. From the opening title track with its foot tapping acoustic guitars and dreamlike vocals, shimmering hi-hat and the promise of “Don’t Cry I’ll be coming back at Christmas”, all filtered through ethereal Flaming Lips style melodies. It seamlessly shifts through the glorious “Song In D” into the insatiably jangly “Smile On” with its time changes and distorted blues riffs, and then onto “World of Machines”, soft and delicate, it’s a cross between Modest Mouse and Brendan Benson. Mock Orange encapsulates everything that is good about American india (and maybe everything that’s bad too? -Tom). I wanna read those superfine eyes,” they sing on “Motel Man” over a beautifully joyous melody and sweet rhythms. Mock Orange is a band that has been under the radar for many years but still manages to play with the likes of Rogue Wave and Minus the Bear. If you like them, you’ll like this. Captain Love is a wonderful album. Treat yourself and get onboard the Mock Orange choo-tune train. Lee Puddlefoot