Spring has arrived in Crotchety Village. The snowdrops have come and gone, the daffodils are blooming, catkins are on the trees … and when I got up this morning it was snowing. Yes, Spring is a season of contrasts in the UK. After last month’s record high temperatures Winter has returned with a vengeance, foisting upon us cloudy skies, chilling rain and icy winds.

The miserable weather here has produced a yearning for sunnier climes and lazy days sipping a long, cool drink on a sun-drenched beach. A cola in Cancún sounds perfect. And to while away the time I’ve selected some pleasant, but undemanding music by All India Radio. Here’s the 2019 remaster of their 2006 song, Mexicola.

All India Radio is an Australian band with a fluid line-up led by Martin Kennedy. According to their Facebook page their material is “downtempo spacey dream-pop sometimes with an electronic edge”. That may not sound too promising but there is more depth to AIR‘s music than that suggests. Other commentators have compared the band with Mogwai and Boards of Canada, several films and TV programmes have used All India Radio tunes and Kennedy himself acknowledges that Pink Floyd have been the most important influence on his compositions.

The remaster of Mexicola is available as a free download from AIR‘s bandcamp page. Well, it’s not quite free – you have to provide an email address which will be added to their mailing list. You can, of course, unsubscribe at any time thereafter. And, in addition to the remastered single, you get a remix, a live version and a rehearsal version. I can’t say those extras tickled the Crotchety taste buds as much as a fizzy vanilla and cinnamon soft drink but they are a very pleasant way to pass the time until the hot Mexican sun creeps up past the yardarm and we have an excuse for something a little stronger.