A salute to amateur songwriters making music for the sake of dedication to the craft, the opening line of centerpiece The Minor Leagues is perhaps an apt introduction to the band Best Bets and a glimpse into what makes them good. Yes, this is a band with day jobs. They’ve not yet had a hit. The album was made on a shoestring budget in a lock-up in Ōtautahi Christchurch. They care about writing great songs, doing it themselves, and defining their own style whether or not it’s the sound of the week, or the year, or the decade.
The duo of Harding/Crawford Ellis is one of those timeless songwriting partnerships penning a number of classics and future classics on both this album and as previous output from Best Bets and punk band Transistors. While both songwriters have distinct styles (Crawford Ellis loves a good story; Harding is more often wearing his heart on his sleeve), the shared history between the pair gives a chemistry and cohesion of songwriting that can only come from doing it for a very long time. The lineup of Best Bets on this record has been rounded out with Joe Sampson (Salad Boys) on bass, and Matt Phimmavanh, making Best Bets one of Christchurch's most essential live acts.
Tracklist
- The Point
- Crystal Mausoleum
- Wrong Side Of The Sun
- Olympic Sprinter
- King Cnut
- The Minor Leagues
- Whataworld
- Looking Back With Mike
- Always On The Losing Side
- Age of Nostalgia
- European Cars
- That Movie Never Got Made
