Girls Aloud: Tangled Up
The fifth release from the UK's premier girl band.
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Monday, 19, Nov 2007 04:30
Polydor, out November 19th.
In a nutshell...
Sugary sweet, pure retro pop.
What's it all about?
This is Girls Aloud's fifth release and it pretty much follows on from what has gone before.
It is front-loaded with all the best songs, so if you are trying to decide whether to buy this album listen to the last four tracks and if you are still interested this is definitely one for you.
The theme is pure pop music and there's something a little bit 80s about a lot of it, which is a nice touch and fits perfectly with what is fast-becoming the band's own unique sound.
Impressive in itself is the achievement of a publicly manufactured pop machine to achieve such critical and commercial success without letting down either the bank manager or the fans.
A lot of that success is down to the song-writing factory that is Xenomania and their influence is at the heart of this release again, mixing influences from drum n bass and retro rock to chirpy pop.
Who's it by
By now, this band needs little introduction. Girls Aloud have been around the top of the charts ever since they overcame fellow Popstars: The Rivals contestants One True Voice in the battle for the 2002 Christmas number one.
Now, however, there is only one winner in that contest. These five girls are as recognisable as any in the world of pop and celebrity circles.
Last year's Greatest Hits album was strangely timed and seemed like a blatant attempt to cash in on the Christmas shopping rush given that there was no sign of the band winding down their impressive career.
Nevertheless it worked to remind us just how many quality releases this band have come up with since the early years.
Without question Girls Aloud are the best girl band in UK pop at the moment - possibly ever - and the fact they have not really been overshadowed recently despite the heralded return of the Spice Girls only underlines their calibre these days.
As an example...
"Out of the fire that burns inside me/A phoenix is rising/If you don't feel that you can love me/I won't shoot you down." - Call The Shots
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
This is classic Girls Aloud, so if you're a fan the chances are there will be something on here that will suit your tastes. If it is upbeat you are looking for then the early tracks will put a smile on your face.
If you don't like pop music, avoid this record like the plague. But then that should really go without saying. Chances are if you are buying this CD you know just what you're going to get, and you'd be right in your assumption. It's pure and simple pop music. And it's another classic.
What the others say
"It's witty, diverse, experimental and viscerally thrilling: what more do you want pop music to be?" - Guardian
"Undoubtedly the best girl band the UK has ever seen, Girls Aloud make challenging pop music without ever losing their sense of fun and Tangled Up is yet another diamond on their fingers." - BBC
"As predictable as a motorway, but fun." - Times
So is it any good?
The band's songwriters have tapped into what makes the band such a success and they haven't strayed far from their roots again here. There is little to shock or surprise but there is plenty to like.
I must admit to being a bit disappointed with Girls Aloud's most recent single - Sexy! No No No... - as it seemed to be a bit of a move away from what has become expected of the band, a bit less pop and a bit more hip-hop (as strange as that sounds). But it has grown on me in the context of what is another impressive album from the girls. I'm still not sure I actually like it much but I appreciate it more.
The highlight of this release is undoubtedly the first track and the upcoming single Call The Shots, which has the potential for huge commercial success. It says a lot to suggest it could be one of their best songs, especially coming so soon after the girls reminded us of exactly how good their back catalogue is with their Greatest Hits album last year.
Girl Overboard is similarly upbeat and is a foot-tapper if ever there was one. Black Jacks is one of those songs that is impossible to decide if you love it or hate it, but it bodes well that I enjoyed it more and more with every listen.
For all its pop crescendos there are some less enjoyable spots on the album, all it seems cropping up in the second half.
What You Crying For has the sort of distorted bassline you expect from drum 'n' bass more than a pure pop band and I'm not sure it really works. Fling is similarly sub-standard.
The album peters out somewhat in the second half, with the exception of the final two tracks - Damn and Crocodile Tears - the latter proving me wrong when I say Girls Aloud's attempts at downbeat balladry just don't work.
It's a shame that the whole record does not live up to the first four tracks - and the last two - all of which are strong, instantly recognisable and memorable tunes.
But the last time I said that was about Hot Fuss by the Killers, and that album has done rather well.
This release is sure to be another success story for Girls Aloud, adding to their already impressive discography, and the suggestion is that there is far more to come - which can only be a good thing.
7.5/10
Alistair Potter