The success or failure of this record depends on two things; if the record is intended to bring a diverse collection of world sounds and artists together in one place then it hardly compares to the jitterbugging, cross-continental bloom of eclectica raffled by the likes of David Byrne’s Luaka Bop. If on the otherhand it’s only objective was to compile a record of perfectly affable and palatable lightly electronic pop music from a score of odds and ends and misfits then it works magically. The accompanying spiel suggests both, so I’ll leave it up to you to decide which pitch to believe.
RoadTrip: Road To Nowhere is the first offering from Australian label Petrol Records and the new EMI America Records label since Petrol and EMI Music announced an exclusive, long-term global partnership in February 2006. Billed as the ultimate ‘drive-time CD for blissfully meandering journeys on the open road’ the record pulls in a fleet of well established 3 litre-engines like Talking Head’s ‘Road To Nowhere’, the Beach Boys ‘Do It Again’, Roxy Music’s ‘Let’s Stick Together’, Elvis Costello’s ‘Pump It Up’, and Bob Marley and the Wailers ‘Waiting In Vain’ – all re-dreamed and re-awakened by the core production unit, Thriller Jill in collusion with summery South London 4-piece, Atom, Galliano’s acid-spatting, Valerie Etienne, bonkers French Band, Neimo and a handful of extras Petrol just happen to have hanging around on the books.
Though far from adventurous the re-workings of these songs are for the most part surprising; ‘Road To Nowhere’ as camp, eighties pop-romance; ‘Do It Again’ and ‘Cinamon Girl’ as crunchy, synth-munching, electroclashing Goldfrapp parodies, and The Doors’ ‘Hello I Love You’ as chewed up and spat out by some cool, Kraftwerkian android on acid.
It’s a pleasing diversion, comfortable, not too rough around the edges and carrying just enough juice to make it to the next service-station. Best of the bunch? Tough choice between the cooing orchestral manoeuvres of Atom’s ‘Waiting In Vain’ or the tinkling, surly magic of the gorgeous ‘Femme Fatale’ from the androgynous Thomas Beach & Lana Constantine.