LIP SERVICE COPY KILL ORIGINAL ALBUM DEVOTCHKA RELEASE: JULY 9, 2007 REVIEW: JULY 30, 2007

I can see why this record is dedicated Frank Tovey (a k a Fad Gadget). Andreas Jismark (former song writer in indie pop band The April Tears) and Louise Jismark Josefsson have tried to imitate the raw attitude Tovey so successfully embodied with everything they have. Few things are harder to achieve.

The basic foundation of "Copy Kill Original" has more of an early Die Krupps/Nitzer Ebb feel, albeit sprinkled with pop cream on a few tracks. Simplistic and bass reliant, this album needs charm more than anything, but it ends a luke warm experience. I know Jismark can write songs and I understand his move away from traditional pop structures, but the best tracks on "Copy Kill Original" can be deemed nothing but electronic pop. Blunda's vocalist Carl-Johan Lann makes "Unite" the highlight of the album, giving it emotion and power.

The vocals are another chapter. Louise Jismark's breathy delivery, full of punkish edges, have been quite over used since the electronic market was flooded with electroclash a couple of years back. In the long run this shatters the credibility of a band with hidden potential.

Let's hope for a more inspired second album.

NIKLAS FORSBERG