She can't be an easy life maintaining a long-term career in dance music, what with new scenes becoming old school in the time it takes a glo-stick to go flat. So congrats are due to Cambridge duo Andy Cato and Tom Findlay for keepin' on keepin' on, evenif their relative longevity among rival beep-doof gadflys may be more to do with their scattergun approach to merrymaking than any touch of pure genius.
Is there a chill-out comp anywhere without their latest sunset snoozer? Soundboy Rock, their fifth studio offering and the first since their 2004 Best Of, finds them voyaging down familiar paths with a crew of big-name guests and a grab-bag of hat tips to the likes of Human League, Ultravox and Blue Nile. Kicking off, MC Stush throws her grimy shapes all over sublety-free stormer Get Down before proceedings slump under tracks that are short on ideas and long of stay. Plantlife add a welcome serving of greens to The Girls Say before MAD, the raggamon behind GA barnstormer Superstylin', does his thing over Lightsonic and the cool roots and culture title track. Stush returns to rock Drop That Thing, but the lads go all girly for Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control), today's tip for an imminent radio thrashing. So, is it a comeback? Well the old fullas can still fill a dancefloor, but the edge has moved on.
Label: Sony/ BMG
Verdict: Now might be a good time to put the fleet in drydock
