AlunaGeorge - Body Music

It's difficult nowadays to find a voice in pop music that feels wholly idiosyncratic, and whilst it feels inevitable that Aluna Francis' sugary, overpronounced cooing will be like nails on a chalkboard to some listeners, finding something uniquely individual about a UK dance-pop act at the moment is something of a rarity. Whilst the quality of UK music is currently at a high, it's at the expense of acts with identifiers; could you pick Duke Dumont out of a lineup? Where do Disclosure stop and Chase & Status start? It seemed pertinent that this rise of UK talent should be merged with modern pop's other most obvious requirement: frontwomen. Others have come and gone with dance hits written by others, and even some of those were dull as fuck, so this feels like an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

Prior to their appearances in all the usual start-of-the-year hype lists (culminating in placing as runner-up on BBC's Sound of 2013), AlunaGeorge were one of those pop acts championed by people on the most annoying fansites (you know the ones - with the Britney Spears stans and the gifs of Bravo reality TV shows). So I avoided them by association. Sorry about that. George Reid and Aluna Francis have only been working together since 2009, and although they look set to join a list of other UK double-acts assumed to be solo efforts (La Roux, Goldfrapp, Yazoo), Reid is not to be underestimated; his productions are one of the few things making this record enjoyable.

At first, AlunaGeorge are coy and suggestive; 'Outlines', their opener, is a 4-chord groove with nothing more disruptive going on than an occasional rain-like drumbeat. Francis herself is hushed and, towards the end, serene, desperately trying to save a failing relationship. The silence is interrupted by 'You Know You Like It', a bouncy, infectious pop song with a brush of attitude - not of the swaggery, attention-seeking variety, but the self-assured stage presence kind. This continues into the duo's biggest hit so far (ignoring guest spots), 'Attracting Flies', an amusing series of insults woven around a fantastic dance beat. Another of 2012's early hints, 'Your Drums, Your Love' seems to have gone down a hit with many, but its appeal is lost on me; it's fine, and the vocal effects used are indeed interesting in a slight way, but once it finishes I'm neither wishing to hear it again nor humming its tune.

Too often, AlunaGeorge repeat what has worked so far in their career up to the point of them bagging an opportunity to actually release an album, and the end result is a snowball effect of samey songs. Whilst 'Kaleidoscope Love' has fun, understated performances and handclaps, its structure seeps into 'Bad Idea' and 'Diver', two songs of identical length and identical nothingness. On the other hand, they're capable of immediately recognisable and chirpy efforts, such as the garage-infused 'Lost and Found', a rather Katy B-indebted experimentation of different synths, sound effects and a faster, different emotional setting to Francis' vocal. Similarly tweaking of her usual (and sometimes admittedly boring) pouring-honey voice is future single 'Best Be Believing', but there's still the nagging feeling that a stronger chorus was capable.

Further examples of a sense of rushed urgency is 'Superstar', essentially a faster, higher-pitched Your Drums, Your Love. With patience and the desire to stretch themselves creatively, they're capable of great things: take 'Just a Touch', an almost Depeche Mode-in-its-theatricality production. The jarring, disjointed nature of tracks like the title song are also perfectly matched by Reid's light, subtle house beats - but some experiments just don't work at all. 'Friends to Lovers' takes on a few organ chords and a slow, soul vocal that - whilst nice - feels totally out of place. The album ends with a cover of This Is How We Do It, which is exactly what it sounds like.
 

Whilst the occasional single stemming from Body Music shows signs of promise, and their presence in UK charts is infinitely more welcome above offensively bad efforts from Jessie J or Jennifer Lopez, there's a frustrating lack of good songwriting here. The highlights are highlights by default: they stand out in a mire of blandness. Too often the trick of sampling and re-jigging Francis' vocals is relied upon to provide a hook within itself, and when these tracks are pit against truly fun productions from Reid, like Lost and Found, they just bore.

Rating: 6/10
Highlights: Attracting Flies; Just a Touch; You Know You Like It; Lost & Found; Outlines
Avoid: Diver; Bad Idea; Friends to Lovers; Superstar

Artwork Watch: Pretty shit, it has to be said.
For fans of: Katy B; K-Pop; Ms. Dynamite
Up next: Baths