Our first impression of Red, the new album by Norwegian electro rockers Datarock, was that we just found the next Soulwax, swiping the guitar line from “Sweet Child o’ Mine” and the vocal intro to Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” for a galloping, dialogue-driven song “The Blog.” What follows is more in line with LCD Soundsystem which, blogosphere fanatics be damned, is not a good thing. Jumpy drum tracks, cascading synth lines, fey vocals, angular guitar fills…you’ve heard everything here before, by two different generations of bands. “True Stories” is one giant Talking Heads slurpfest, from the lyrics – which are nothing but Talking Heads song titles – to the music, which sounds like the Heads crossed with their spinoff band the Tom Tom Club. “Molly,” God love ’em, is a love letter to Molly Ringwald. (“Sixteen Candles! The Breakfast Club!”) There are some strong musical ideas here; the instrumental “In the Red” is a keeper, and the down-tempo album closer “New Days Dawn” suggests that the band’s true strengths are more in line with the Pernice Brothers and Richard Hawley than with Shiny Toy Guns. The lyrics, however, are so desperate for attention – look at us, we’re talking about the ’80s! – that the urge to dance is quickly repressed by the urge to punch something. Ditch the data, guys, and set yourselves free.
(Nettwerk 2009)
