Elsie – London Town
aaamusic | On 09, Jul 2012
Elsie’s new single is a chirpy pop track with a quasi-reggae feel to it. The lively Jessie J-esque vocals, bland youthful lyrics, and momentary outbursts of half-arsed Ting Tings style shouting, mean it all feels a tad familiar – indeed, the central brass riff is a sample from Message To You Rudy, a song that unfortunately I find deeply irritating. Two other mixes are available on this release, but neither fails to overcome the central problem that the song is just a tad derivative and forgettable. There is however also a rather effective cover version of Blondie’s Heart of Glass to enjoy, which alters the harmonies and strip everything down into a much slower, sultrier affair with a real moodiness and allure about it. This is the real highlight here, and is suggests Elsie might be capable of greater things than the clichéd upbeat pop that marks out London Town.
Rupert Uzzell