Teddybears - Devil's Music

A star-studded lineup doesn't always equate to a top quality record

In a record featuring Cee Lo Green, Robyn, Eve, The Flaming Lips and the B-52s you'd be forgiven for expecting something overwhelmingly diverse and, in the very least hope for, a great collection. It certainly seems to have worked for the Swedish electro/dance outfit in the past, with collaborations with Iggy Pop, Neneh Cherry and Elephant Man to their repertoire. The saying too many cooks spoil the broth may well be the case here, but I'll take a track-by-track look at the 2010 album about to be rereleased in the US. The only difference between the two releases is the guest appearance on track 3, 'Cardiac Arrest', which was previously attributed to Maipei but has been since rerecorded with electro-queen du jour, Robyn.

It all starts off promisingly. I'm slightly unfamiliar with Eve's recent performances but she's vocally on fire in the opener 'Rocket Scientist', with a cold, robotic swagger that asserts "them drum machines ain't got no soul" over a slick grime production. The sort of stuff that could easily advertise sportscars, this continues with 'Get Mama A House', featuring Desmond Forster. It's a very 90s, somewhat Dandy Warhols, sounding track with heavy emphasis on cymbals and clashes. 'Cardiac Arrest' isn't exactly one of Robyn's best guest appearances - though that's not really down to her. Whilst she indeed doesn't vary much in terms of emotion or harmonies, the real fault is in the monotony and lack of ambition in the tune.


This kind of half-hearted "oh this will do" approach continues into 'Glow in the Dark', all predictable high-pitched beeps and chord progressions that are a vague attempt at presenting something ethereal or spooky. A kind of futuristic reinterpretation of the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" is seen next in 'Get Fresh With You' - all retro dance pop and it's a pretty catchy track but I feel lacks any variety or interesting layers in the production to really hook onto you. The biggest starpower attempt appears to be on 'Cho Cha', with the B-52s and Cee Lo Green. You'd expect them to exploit Green's greatest asset - his belter of a voice - and as such this track comes as a massive disappointment. A beat heavily similar to last year's "Caesar" by I Blame Coco really doesn't do him any favours, and the B-52s are virtually absent.

However with the guest appearance here, 'Crystal Meth Christian' was always going to be a favourite of mine, given the presence of the Flaming Lips. The track is rich in experimentation and there's at least an attempt at broadening their horizons beyond their "grime synth + guest = track" formula, and Wayne Coyne's token psychedelic vocals doing well to compliment this. 'Cisum Slived' meanders along with some pretty little tunes but again a lack of direction is its downfall. The title track featuring ADL is a highlight, with a fast rhythm and dizzying instrumentations that, surprisingly, are the album's first real indication of possibly making me want to dance. 'Tek It Down' really would've been the best track for Robyn to tackle given its high-pitched celestial qualities and unusual lyrics, but instead Rigo gets the go-ahead.

'Wolfman' is a slice of Air, blended by Cut Copy. A strong rock rhythm underpins it and gives a nice platform for unusual sounds to linger over, but I can imagine the whole thing gets very tiresome after a couple of listens. The record finishes with 22 seconds of a robotic voice in 'Bukowski' that's snnsfafaojbf.


I can't even pretend to find this album enjoyable. It's just so piecemeal and repetitive and boring that, even by being average rather than implicitly bad, is just irritating.

Rating: 4/10
Highlights: Crystal Meth Christian, Rocket Scientist, Tek It Down, Devil's Music
Avoid: Cisum Slived, Glow in the Dark, Get Fresh With You, Cho Cha
Artwork Watch: When a band has to rely on a mask gimmick to stick out you know there's problems in the music.