SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

Mint Royale

That Volkswagen advert, it’s good, but there’s something a bit strange about the way Gene Kelly moves – it almost looks as though somebody in the creative department had enjoyed a really heavy (and successful) session of Dancing Stage Euromix, then watched Singin’ In The Rain, had a fantastic idea (and imagined a light bulb appearing above the head to accompany it – told you these guys were creative) and gave Gene Kelly a right good Photoshopping. At least there’s the tune to distract me from watching the smiling breakdancing chap, and what a tune it is. Or maybe it’s a remix. Or possibly a cover version (it’s credited to Mint Royale, not Gene Kelly, so you decide). To be honest, who really gives a flying monkeys? Now, as everybody knows there are several angles you can approach a song from when you’re going to overhaul it. You can add new beats to it (worked for Yes), you can ditch the original and remake it so it contains enough cheese to make a family of mice sick for days (everyone look at Flip and Fill) or you can strip the song down to one vocal sample and a repeated riff (Freeloaders et al). Mint Royale have approached this song from a slightly different angle, namely from above – they’ve flown straight into it at a ninety degree angle, crawled out of the wreckage without a scratch and then created a brand new song from whatever can be salvaged. Doing that to a classic song is brave enough, but they’ve only gone and ended up with something of a gem here, haven’t they? Cheeky devils. When the advert started doing the rounds, it was obvious the track was going to end up getting a full release, it was just a case of when and not if. What wasn’t quite so clear cut was whether they’d be able to stretch the tune out for the three to four minute running time. Well, they haven’t, but that’s because they didn’t even bother – the whole thing comes to rest at two minutes forty-six. Now, that may sound a bit short, but let’s be honest, it’s all there. Making it longer would only drag things out unnecessarily. I don’t often say that a reworking of an old song deserves to get to Number One, but this is an absolute masterclass and, quite frankly, Mint Royale have earned it with this.

CRASH LANDING

Route One featuring Jenny Frost

Route one (football phrase) – to score a goal via the shortest possible route, eg. a goalkeeper hoofing the ball seventy yards up the field to the strikers, completely bypassing his defenders and midfielders. As easy on the eye as contact lenses with drawing pins fitted on the inside, but very effective on its day. Tune in next week when I’ll be discussing the offside rule.*

Route One (popular beat combo) – pretty much what I just said. Somebody’s decided who the target market is going to be and they’ve pushed all the buttons that they know will work to achieve their aim. No fancy stuff, little attempt to stand out from the crowd (heavens above, that would mean this wouldn’t fit snugly onto a Clubland compilation – can’t have that!), just dance music for kids, basically. It’s not good, it’s not bad, it’s just… there. Songs like this allow me to appreciate the effort that people like Mint Royale and Mylo put in all the more.



*possibly untrue.

GETAWAY

Texas

They’re back, just accept it and move on. They’ve also embraced the world of electronic sounds, just like the Stereophonics. Unlike the Stereophonics, though, this song doesn’t scream “massive change of direction” or even “far better than before”. Instead, the new toys simply augment what was already there (happy, inoffensive, radio-friendly, no thanks). To give Texas their due, what they do they do very well, it’s just a shame that the last time I heard a Texas song I liked I was 14 years old. I’ve just turned 31, that’s a hell of a wait in anyone’s book.