Alphabeat, the UK-based Danish pop group have returned to the charts with The Beat Is..., their latest album which hit shelves 1st March 2010 in the UK. Originally released in Denmark in October 2009 under the title The Spell, the group has moved away from their pure pop roots featured in their debut album - This Is Alphabeat, and headed in a more 90's dance inspired record. The results are fun, highly dancable and slightly more mature sounding than the sounds produced in their previous album. The vocals have shifted over with more mic time given to Stine, the female vocalist and this further adds to that retro-dance sound.
1. The Spell - The leading single for the album release in Denmark. This went straight to number one in their home country but failed to make as much of an impression on the UK singles charts, peaking at 20. This is really the only track on the album which echoes the groups previous pop sound, but with Stine providing the majority of the vocals. The track is lots of fun, very catchy and easy to sing along to and a very effective showcase of Stines' vocal abilities. 10/10
2. DJ - This was the second single in Denmark and peaked at 10. The track plods along a little slower than The Spell and isn't half as catchy. The repeated lines of "just let the music play" harken to that 90's dance sound and Anders' verses sound like they were sampled straight from the era. A pleasent track but that's about as far as I would push it. The highlight of this track is clearly the synth heavy middle eight! 7/10
3. Hole In My Heart - This is the current single newly released in the UK. It has so far peaked at number 29 but should climb compared to the majority of rubbish floating around in our charts! This is cheesy, dancable and very instant when skipping through the album to find a quick fix. The piano riffs, drum beats and synth swooshes will take you back 15 years to the dance floor raves and the vocals are easy to pick up, provided dually by Stine and Anders. A highlight! 10/10
4. The Beat Is - The title track for this album and a little bit of a mess for me personally. The tune is UN-catchy (if that's possible) and plods along with not a lot happening thoughout the 3 minutes and 22 seconds it lasts for. Featured here are Daft Punk-esque vocoded vocals from Anders, various beeps which sound like they should be censoring a lyric and glass smashing sounds which, in my opinion, make a perfectly awsome sound effect in a track and should be used more often. Nothing much else interesting to hear with this one though, but not quite into the realm of instant skip yet! 6/10
5. Heat Wave - Another instantly likable gem can be found here. Heat Wave boasts some incredible vocals from Stine and has a euphoric backing track during the choruses. The build-ups are immense, and the chorus feels like a sudden release of energy similar to the drop in a roller coaster after the initial mile high climb. I hope this is a single, definitely my favourite pick! 10/10
6. Chess - This is the first mid-tempo track featured on the album and the lyrics are a clever play on a love chase, and an actual game of chess. The beat plods along nicely, possibly to calm you down from the thrill of the previous track! I could imagine this as possibly the closing single from this campaign, but that is still to be decided. The track is easy to listen to and perfectly placed between two very strong stompers. 8/10
7. Heart Failure - The second coronary dilemma to be transformed into a great track from Alphabeat. The beat is heavy, the vocals are strong and catchy and the chorus even catchier. The middle eight even features a very relevant heart monitor beep! If you needed a kick start after the previous mid-tempo track, this is sure to provide. 10/10
8. Always Up With You - Again the 90's dance influence is showcased here, with the track opening with a piano heavy introduction and Anders' vocals layering over the top perfectly. The chorus is quick to kick in, still piano riff heavy and featuring Stine providing retro backing vocals. The beat and synths compliment the riffs perfectly and create a unmistakable blast to the past until the track fades out, perhaps a little too early but worth lapping up for all it's got. 9/10
9. Q & A - This is the second and mid-tempo track on the album, based on questions and answers within a troubled relationship as the title suggests. The overall sound to this one sounds slightly UK garage with the chimes and beat. The synths ensure the dance vibe isn't lost though but with a track this slow it's hard to get excited over. The vocals are emotive from Stine but her voice is more more suited to up-tempo tracks where she can let rip. Unfortunately this seems like a clever lyrical idea but a bit of a missed chance for me, and I ususally listen to half the track and grow bored 6/10
10. The Right Thing - This was the last track from the original Denmark release of the album and I feel it is the weakest. The ingredients are there for a good track, the dance sound this album follows and the signature piano riffs but it doesn't really go anywhere or take off into amazing-ness. Anders' vocals sound a little lifeless and Stines' ad-libs seem like a bit of a missed opportunity for her to propel the track to greater things. This is always a "skipper" for me. 4/10
11. Til I Get Round - The final track on the international release of the album and the last mid-tempo track. This gets off to a bit of a slow start and only accelerates very slightly to provide a decent tune. I don't think the track would be missed if it was omitted from the track listing, or just provided as a bonus track. Great vocals again from Stine and Anders together but would lend themselves to a more fancy production. This is another one I listen to rarely and doesn't conclude the album any better than the previous track from the original release. 5/10
Overall rating: 8/10
There are more amazing tracks to this album than Alphabeats' debut record, which really started to lose it halfway through the tracklist. Unfortunately it is let down by a couple of duffs but the new sound the group are going for is a welcome addition to my music library and hopefully to the singles charts. When it is good, it's very good and all other times it is fairly average - nothing on here offends my ears though and I wouldn't complain if I was forced to listen to the album from start to finish. If you picked up the album from iTunes you're treated to the bonus track "365 Degrees" which brings the par back up to finish the album off on a definite positive note, and amazon UK have been offering a free bonus track which is a mashup of Lady Gaga's "Telephone" and "Bad Romance" which is an awesome cover and the icing on the cake. I look forward to hearing its strong points in the clubs as Alphabeat are definitely successful in making you want to dance!
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