Datarock – Red review
Our favourite 80s-obsessed Norweigian electro rockers have conjured up another album full of gimmicky goodness. Datarock resurfaces with their sophmore album, Red, which is significantly less fun than their debut but I don’t think they’ve lost their senses of humour completely. What attracted me to Datarock was their happy-go-lucky lyrics and cheesy puns which seem to make rare appearances on this album. I mean, there’s “True Stories”, a song comprised of Talking Heads song titles. We know that Datarock loves Talking Heads (”Fa-Fa-Fa”) and “True Stories” really brings that sentiment home but I’m torn between loving it and being disappointed that while it’s cute, it’s not really funny or original. It’s a miniscule step above a Talking Heads cover. Actually, I think I would have prefered that.
I like “The Blog” because the beginning reminds me of that song Howard and Vince performed with the electro girls on the Mighty Boosh. It’s also sort of a curve ball intro because as we know, the rest of the album celebrates the past (”Molly”, “Back in the Seventies”). Or maybe it’s just mocking technology and not ironic at all. Either way, it’s clever.
“Fear of Death” sounds like a Teenagers song. It’s not a bad song but the world already has the Teenagers, we don’t really need a doppleganger.
One of the most significant changes on this album is that it’s more live-friendly. I’m not sure how I feel about that. Datarock will always be club music to me – it’s what they do best. There are bands who are valued for their profound lyrics and intricate harmonies. Datarock is not one of them. Datarock is good at being catchy, kitschy, and making me giggle at “Prince Ass”. I understand their desire to evolve but change is not always good. I can see them playing “real” venues, not selling that many tickets, and peacing out of the music world.
3.25/5
Datarock – The Blog
Datarock – Molly
Tags: album
