Metronomy - The English Riviera

Despite being from Totnes, I'd never heard of Metronomy until I pinched their free iTunes single of the week about a month ago. It's something of a rarity to find music about my own area; mostly because whilst it gives off the illusion of being something quite beautiful but home to a vast array of social problems (we have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the country, perhaps Europe I think, and a ridiculously high unemployment rate). But who cares when you have palm trees, right?

So, avoiding desires to spread my wings and leave, The English Riviera has its merits - the opener of the same title merges the sounds of seagulls and waves (quite accurate, you could even have sampled some of Torquay's finest) with a brief but tense string that introduces 'We Break Free', a slow and funky track that sits somewhere between the last Bloc Party album and Stars. It clatters at times and becomes a little unstable, like a wobbly wheel on a shopping trolley, but composes itself by the end. New addition Anna Prior introduces herself with lead vocals on 'Everything Goes My Way', a chirpy pop track with a gloriously simple hook.


"Love, I'm in love again" finally fades out to 'The Look' which makes adept use of an organ synth for instant gratification but there's something almost sinister about the track that could reveal itself given enough listens and attention; a poppy version of Pulp's "F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E." if you will. 'She Wants' is just as nice on the ear but lacks something in the way of a meaning to it, almost like standing still on a dancefloor.

'Trouble' has a slight nostalgic vibe about it with its shoegazing sounds and slow, swaying rhythm that devilishly lulls you into a minimalistic trance or boredom depending on you outlook of life. Thankfully mine at the moment is the former. My inner local patriot skips a beat when he sees 'The Bay' mentioned as a track title, and it's also easily the best. Sounding a little bit like Scissor Sisters' "Any Which Way" last year without the forthright sex, it's an instantly catchy track that reminds me a little bit of fairground rides and late-summer parties, so quite a romantic view of Torbay.

'Loving Arm' heralds in some heavy Depeche Mode influences, introducing itself with sweeping synths and almost 8-bit tunes like a video game from the 80s USSR. It's a pretty odd track, like the digital reimagination of a snakecharmer, and it sticks out for all the right reasons. We then revert to a bit of MOR with 'Corinne', which doesn't drift too far away from the "prog-rock song with a girl's name as the title" genre and with its handclapping and honky-tonk tunes it's something of an unexpected surprise.



'Some Written' is a moody disposition, washing away all of the nu-rave funk for a pretty hushed affair, as if sharing secrets and passing lovenotes, gradually building into a "introduce a new instrument every couple of bars" assault. It'll take a few listens for it to have anywhere near as much of an impact as other tracks have pulled off, if at all, which is a bit of a shame. It however crashes like a wave into 'Love Underlined', the final track, something of a carnival track with a marching drumbeat that unexpectedly introduces various catchy synths - from David Guetta grime-lite to a Goldfrappy dream sequence.

All in all it's a fine record of electrofunk that, whilst not particularly synonymous with the English Riviera from my point of view, is great enough for me to happily draw lines of comparison if it means associating my crummy hometown with as ambitious, infectious music as this.

Rating: 8/10
Highlights: The Bay, Love Underlined, The Look, Corinne, Loving Arm
Avoid: She Wants

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Side-note of the day:
I've been trying to weed in some absurd metaphors so as to identify myself with the more respected of music reviewing establishments. Today I managed 4 (shopping trolley, dancefloor, USSR video games, digital snakecharming) - will I squeeze in more tomorrow? Find out, when I'll be reviewing Those Dancing Days! *waves*