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REVIEW: Datarock 'California' EP

30 March 2011 | 1:10 pm | Staff Writer

-    You remember Datarock, right?

-    No

-    Sure you do. Norwegian tracksuit-clad electro nerds with a reputation for onstage aerobics?

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-    Oh, them.

-    They're back!

-    Um, is that good?

-    Not really

Back in 2005 there's a good chance you'd have danced along to dance-punk-funk songs like Fa Fa Fa or the Revenge of the Nerds inspired Computer Camp Love at summer festivals or indie nights. But to be honest, that sound didn't have much of a shelf-life even back then. So 6 years later, our Nordic heroes have had to look further a field for electro-inspiration. And they seem to have settled on bad American cartoons from the 80s for new secret 5 track EP, California.

Apparently, the EP is a taster from their “forthcoming opus” Datarock - The Musical. And if intro Life is a Musical - is anything to go by it's a terrifying stageshow. Beginning with rain effects and Doors-style psychedelic intro, a Norwegian-robot voice instructs us that “sometimes life feels like a bad piece of performance art or a bad display of modern art”. Or a bad electro concept album perhaps? Because it then erupts into a ridiculously cherry choir chorus of “live your life like it's a musical” with some saxophone thrown in. Oh dear.

Second track Great Pets can best be described as a combo of The Knack's My Sharona and the Captain Planet theme song. It's just weird. With vocals lifted from Motley Crue, The Beach Boys and cheesy “all the ladies” call and responses, it sounds like a dreadful pastiche of what Eurovision song contest entrants think American culture sounds like.

Lead track California, will be a hit. It doesn't deserve to be. But the Grafton Primary crowd will latch onto this uplifting synth pop with its hand-claps and multilayered sing-along choruses from the very first note. I can't put my finger on what Saturday morning cartoon this reminds me of. But I'd be embarrassed to listen to this in public.

Sounding part poor-man's Jane's Addiction, part early brit-pop, part early Beasties, Roller Coaster is a funkier effort. It's “get down, you don't stop” shouty chorus are sure to inspire some jumping around at their live show.  And its vocals sound a bit like Cut Copy, but largely forgettable.

Again, Walkaway is cartoonish and could easily be the closing credits. And luckily it's the last song here. Fortunately for the listener, this CD contains two half-decent remixes of single California. Ralph Myerz's mix turns down the cheese somewhat by dropping out the snyth and delivering a much darker dubstep version. The Souldrop mix has its danceable house moments. But unfortunately those moments are when you don't recognise the Datarock bits.

This is a joke, right? Datarock surely have their tongues tightly poking into their cheeks. If not, we're in trouble. Perhaps it works within the context of Datarock - The Musical. But on its own this is just bad. Now allegedly, Australia was the only country to welcome Datarock early on (outside of Norway). So really, you've only got yourselves to blame for this one.

RICHARD SCOTT

Datarock California EP out now through Young Aspiring Professional Records.