This One Time, at Computer Camp…
After introducing themselves to Europe in 2005, Datarock have finally arrived Stateside with their fashionably late debut, Datarock Datarock. The delay worked mostly in their favor. Sharing the same Nordic heritage as ice-pop connoisseurs Royksopp and Annie, Fredrik Saroea and Ketil Mosnes have far more in common with today’s nu rave and yesteryear’s new wave. However, this danceable dichotomy also threatens to betray the band’s shortcomings, as this uber-eponymous effort alternates far too often between repeat-worthy hits and repetitive misses.If the shortest distance between Point Klaxon and Point Devo is a straight line, no one told Datarock. This dynamic duo zigzags all over the map, but they manage to make some nice stops along the way. Single “Fa-Fa-Fa” roars like David Byrne fronting Franz Ferdinand, and “Princess” splices Boris-styled noise with surf-rock farfisa organs. On the other hand, “Ganguro Girl” models a sound that Beck wore out two albums ago while the closing “I Will Always Remember” finds Datarock shooting for a cross between Jens Lekman and Saint Etienne but missing.
ame Datarock actually fares better when they stop trying so hard and just be themselves. “Laurie” is a sweet, unassuming indie ballad and “Sex Me Up” is how Of Montreal’s Hissing Fauna would have sounded before the breakup. But in the end, it’s the Hot Chip/Revenge of the Nerds mash-up of “Computer Camp Love” that steals the show. Rewriting “Summer Lovin’” for the pocket protector crowd, it finds the band at their most endearingly witty if not exactly original.
ame All in all, Datarock Datarock doesn’t rock quite as well as it could, but there’s more than enough potential here to suggest otherwise in the future. Let’s just hope it’s not put on backorder for another two years.
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