When members of different groups come together to make a joint album project, record companies (big or small) tend to label them as supergroups. That can turn out to be a double-edged sword, as often there is no middle ground there – it can be something special or it could be complete shambles.
Maybe the grouping that has called itself Railcard is a supergroup, or more precisely an indie supergroup as it comprises ex-members of Dolly Mixture and Death In Vegas and current members of Heavenly. Makes no difference, as the key here is whether the music they came up with on their second album Two Steps at a Time (two EPs and a self-titled album beforehand) is worth the supergroup billing. The simple answer there is – yes it is worth the time of all indie pop/rock followers.
Born out of the chance meeting between Rachel Love (Dolly Mixture), Ian Button and Peter Momtchiloff (Heavenly), Railcard sound like something that has picked all the good elements that have been brewing since indie pop/rock took shape and for in the second part of the eighties bringing in everything from the music Heavenly got known for through Sarah Records twee pop to Stereolab and further on into the new century.
It is smooth and sophisticated and you can add a few other eptithets there, or simply say it just works the way all involved intended, whether you agree about that supergroup tag or not. And you definitely should.
