Simon Curtis - R∆

Last year the free download of Simon Curtis' debut record, 8-Bit Heart, came as a surprise. Being free, and from a former Nickelodeon movie star, the omens were all there for a piss-poor album: but the wordplay, the slick production and daft references ("This is not a Kelly Clarkson song and not how it ends") made it...rather good. That said, there were a number of pretty average tracks that made sure it would never take off big time.

Just a year later, Curtis has already completed his sophomore album. Stylised 'R∆', RA has already spawned two singles - and it probably won't come as a shock that there's no drastic change of direction for Curtis. From the first track 'Laser Guns Up' there's robotic, repetitive vocals with a cool chorus with no real signs of emotion, diversity or a journey - and whilst catchy, it could really do with something in the way of a better hook.

Sadly this grows to be a recurring theme throughout R∆. 'Don't Dance' at least tries to vary things up with the vocals, the lyrics are again a little bit stale and repetitive. "Too many people trying to tell you what to do" he complains amongst some rather confusing attempts at wordplay ("this isn't an apology, just some reverse psychology"?) and the beat is sturdy if a bit standard. The first relatively consistent track, 'Pit of Vipers' has a nice unusual hook throughout to kind of drum in the ominosity - the lyrics are a little bit vague ("secrets run deep in a pit of vipers"; personally I'd be more worried about venom, but you know...). 'Superhero' follows and it's understandable as to why this was chosen for first single duties, with a monster chorus and clear lyrical theme.

The next two tracks are pretty poor and highly repetitive - 'D.T.M.' stands for "dead to me" and it'd probably sound pretty vicious were it not repeated about 50 times. Curtis plays bitter ex quite convincingly though and this was a theme common on his debut - songs such as Diablo have always been his strongest - but here the tune is strong but the lyrics annoying. Similarly, 'Chip in Your Head', whilst changing the vocals and returning to the interesting robot/mind-control lyrical themes, insists upon repetitive vocals that are both unimaginative and irritating. Second single 'Flesh' however is much better, with a slowburning chorus and sexual suggestions it's the perfect concoction for most current electropop hits.

The repetition returns in 'How to Start A War' where Ke$ha-stutters and about 40 "this is how"s again sully the otherwise quite catchy track. Scratches and sound effects are the early signs of a dirtier sound in 'Get In Line', a much slicker and grittier track that finally delivers a bit of the edge it promised. 'I Hate U' is similarly good, but 'Joshua' is a stand-out with its early 90s rave sounds and monologues - "I'm not who you think I am" he teases. 'Soul 4 Sale' has one of the strongest hooks and is pretty catchy, with the chorus a little bit Justin Timberlake.


There's a much more conventional dance track in 'Enemy' with a twee tune and a surrendering theme - whilst the final track 'The Dark 2: Return to the Dark' revives the pop-referencing of his debut album by copying some of Poker Face's lyrics in the opening verse, and the track is generally more dirty and euphoric than the majority of the album. Throughout there's a persistent feeling that you're waiting for something to happen, and it never really does. There are definitely highlights, and it's pretty commendable to pull off all of this himself (particularly when the majority of pop requires around 5 writers and producers per track), which ensures this is the right side of average... but only just. I'm afraid I prefer 8-Bit Heart.

Rating: 5.5/10
Highlights: Flesh, Joshua, I Hate U, Get In Line, Enemy
Avoid: D.T.M., Chip in Your Head, Don't Dance
Artwork Watch: Would've made a nice poster for the movie One Hour Photo, really.