MUSIC: RE VIEWS ALBUMS ALBUMS OUT IN JUNE
SAM SPARRO RETURN TO PARADISE (VIRGIN)
Four years on, Sam Sparro remains defined by ‘Black and Gold’. Even Adele’s covered it. So, it could be considered pretty ballsy that he snubs that song’s sleek electro-pop on second album, Return T
o Paradise. Instead, he
HOT CHIP IN OUR HEADS (DOMINO RECORDS)
Hot Chip could never make a bad album, but In Our Heads comes with lower expectations than past offerings. After 2010’s One Life Stand failed to sell as well as previous LPs, the electro-pop posse are back on an indie label. Since then, individual band members have been busy with extra- curricular projects like The 2 Bears. And – on a more superficial level – Hot Chip just aren’t as hip as they were five years ago, when they were soundtracking TV ads and rumoured to be writing for Kylie. However, against the odds, this album finds Hot Chip still sizzlin’. The band say they wanted In Our Heads to sound “joyful and alive”, and a striking vitality does indeed shine through from the start. Opener ‘Motion Sickness’ is a giddy mix of electronica and brass. ‘How Do You Do’
features lyrics that could be swiped from a self-help guide: “A heart is not for breaking,” sings Alexis Taylor, “- it’s for beating out all the life within”. Just when it threatens to become a bit wet, In Our Heads gains an edge. Tracks like the claustrophobic ‘These Chains’, the slow-building Italo-disco of ‘Ends of the Earth’, and ‘Now There Is Nothing’, which is like a trippy Beatles ballad crossed with Pet Shop Boys, counter the album’s mushier moments. They also make the tender climax of ‘Always Been Your Love’ even sweeter. Yes, they still look like a bunch of trendy librarians cutting a rug on the dance floor, but it’s hard to resist their invitation to dance when it’s as accomplished as this. NL Out: June 11
opts for a more retro approach, “influenced by music from 1978 to 1984” – meaning funk and disco, of course, not Madness and The Clash. The LA-based Aussie declares: “Modern pop is so polished that you lose the soulfulness and human touch.” He’s put his budget where his mouth is, splashing out on horns, live drums and disco strings. It all sounds snazzy enough and Sparro’s voice injects soul. The trouble is that a niggling sense of pointlessness creeps in as the record progresses. ‘Happiness’ isn’t quite as exuberant once you spot its resem- blance to Cheryl Lynn’s ‘Got to Be Real’. ‘We Could Fly’ has a great breakdown, but it’s buried inside six minutes of Chic pastiche. Even his best songs can be sunk by their lyrics. ‘Wish I Never Met You’ boasts possibly the clunkiest couplet of 2012: “You had me feeling like a crackhead / I squeeze you out just like a blackhead.” Adele, it’s safe to presume, won’t be covering that one. NL Out: 11 June
named [the album] Heartbreak on Hold”. That debut featured Lady Gaga collaborator RedOne on production duties and guest appearances from Flo Rida and Ne-Yo. Without the might of Syco behind it, this one’s more… er, recession appropriate. But the plucky Burko flips this into a positive, delivering a record that’s more cohesive and dancefloor-focused. There are a couple of midtempo tracks in the middle, and the obligatory ballad, but it’s essentially an album of big catchy club bangers. Burko delivers on the tune front and sings like her life/record deal depended on it. Heartbreak on Hold is like a Big Mac at the end of night out: not very classy, a wee bit cheesy too, but it hits the spot. NL Out: 4 June
SCISSOR SISTERS MAGIC HOUR (PARLOPHONE)
ALEXANDRA BURKE HEARTBREAK ON HOLD (RCA)
“There’s an elephant in the room,” sings Alexandra Burke on her recent single. To which the impertinent pop fan might respond: “Yes, what is going on between you and Simon?” The X Factor champ’s 2009 debut, Overcome, sold 1.5 million copies and spawned three number ones. But strangely, this follow-up is being released on RCA rather than Cowell’s imprint, Syco. “To have to leave them was a bit of a heartbreaker,” Burke says, “That’s why I
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Having left a four-year gap between Ta- Dah (2006) and Night Work (2010), the Scissors Sisters bounce back quickly comparatively quickly with album number four, Magic Hour. Released just under two years after the relatively disappointing UK sales of Night Work, they’ll no doubt be hoping that their latest offering rekindles their popularity on this side of the Atlantic, and to help it do so, they’ve recruited current Calvin Harris, to co-produce. The only problem is that whereas recent tracks by Rihanna may flagrantly bear Mr Harris’ fingerprints, here his influence appears to have been subtler. “It’s a sweet, joyful mélange of beat-driven future-pop,” says Jake Shears of the album. “It style-hops all over the place, unabashedly.” He’s not wrong. Unfortunately, some of the quality also wavers. Highlights include recent, masterful single ‘Only The Horses’, opening track ‘Baby Come Home’ (think Wings at Sudio54), and the mellow but gorgeous ‘Year Of Living Dangerously’ – which typifies a general sun-soaked, chilled-out vibe running through many of these songs (in contrast to Night Work’s after-hours shenanigans). The end result could best be described as a solid piece of work that will keep the fans happy, but it lacks the urgency or drama that ran through its predecessor. DH Out: 28 May
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REVIEWS: NICK LEVINE AND DAVID HUDSON
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