Alphabeat - Alphabeat [Album - Danish Release] (EMI)

Scandinavia has been responsible for a lot of good pop music over the years (see Robyn, Annie, The Concretes) and a lot of bad pop music (Aqua, Cartoons, A-teens). Danish group Alphabeat are the latest pop act that have brought their incessantly cheery ditties across the North Sea for our listening pleasure or displeasure depending on who you are.

On the back of massive success with their terrifically catchy single ‘Fascination’, Alphabeat release their debut UK album ‘This is Alphabeat’ in June. With influences ranging from Wham to David Bowie, it is rather disappointing to report that Alphabeat too often cross the line into overtly cheesy europop over the course of this much-anticipated release.

The album starts off wonderfully with latest single ’10,000 Nights of Thunder’, no less joyous than ‘Fascination’ which follows it on the album. Things carry on at pace with the fantastically daft ‘Into the jungle’ and the surprisingly soulful ‘What is happening?’, and expectations are raised that the Danes may have made a pop classic to rank alongside Scandinavia’s best.

However, the record flatters to deceive from there on in. The baffling six minute plus opus ‘Rubber Boots/Mackintosh’ may win brownie points for its insistent ‘You should wear rubber, always wear rubber’ chorus and its ‘Laura’ by the Scissor Sisters like bassline, but it long outstays its welcome.

Most disappointing of all is the formulaic ‘Boyfriend’ which sounds like an Atomic Kitten album cast-off, while ‘Fantastic 6’ may well have had a chance at Eurovision and again boasts brilliantly insane lyrics (‘They are the space troupers, super-duper!’), but it again crosses the line into cheesy nonsense.

‘Ocean Blue’ is a welcome treat though with plenty of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’, as well as the obligatory hand-claps which make for a sweet pop treat. Album closer ‘Nothing but my baby’ is also rather pleasing with similarities to ‘Tender’ by Blur and typically offbeat lyrics (‘brittle as a cornflake’).

‘This is Alphabeat’ then is no disgrace and is too damn catchy to be ignored. However, after two such gorgeously fabulous singles, a merely average pop record is somewhat disappointing.

Rating: 3/5

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Artist: Alphabeat Title: Beat Is Released: 02/03/2010 Buy Now \| View Details	Artist: Alphabeat Title: This Is Alphabeat Released: 24/06/2008 Buy Now \| View Details

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Weblink

Alphabeat's official website
http://www.thisisalphabeat.com

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Weblink

Alphabeat on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/thisisalphabeat

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