Albums

Bugz In The Attic - Back In The Doghouse

Georgie O'Toole 20/07/2006

Rating: 4/5

Get your glow sticks out and put on your 6 inch glitter platforms and a few bling-tastic gold chains for this genre defying debut. One of the few bands that could actually feasibly call themselves electro-techno-funk-disco-dance-calypso-r&b-DJs, and probably still miss out a few genres.

Debut album 'Back in the Dog House' is Fun! With a capital 'F' and an exclamation mark. On the whole it sounds like something Basement Jaxx might produce if they were fond of laser sounds and collaborated with Fatboy Slim on a Caribbean holiday with Groove Armada on jet-skis. This is both a blessing and a curse for Bugz in The Attic. The downside of this mash up is that some of the songs on this album sound just too familiar - 'Knocks Me Off My Feet' and 'Consequences' in particular are a bit samey - and you would be forgiven for thinking 'Worla Hurt' is about to break into 'Good Luck' by Basement Jaxx to begin with., and songs like 'No More' and 'Happy Days' attempt electro R&B but don't quite work.

Genre teasing does work in favour of the group for the most part, though. Electro elevator music such as the intro, 'Once Twice' and 'Inna Row' have a chilled out summery vibe and songs like 'It Don't Work Like That' and 'Booty La La' are the perfect background music for the Worlds Best Garden Party, with a mellow groove that is undeniably catchy. 'Redhanded' combines jerky laser quest-style sounds with venomous vocals, 'I'm Gonna Letcha' is what an ancient Egyptian electro robot would sound like if it a) existed and b) DJed, and 'Don't Stop the Music' starts off like an arcade game on Blackpool Pleasure Beach but ends up in a sleazy bar in Ibiza. Special mention should go to next single 'Move Aside' which sounds like the Go! Team beating up dance music enthusiasts (if this isn't a summer hit than I don't know what is), 'Doghouse (Interlude)', which utilises the powers of clapping and panting with awesome results, and 'Sounds Like...'. When trying to describe 'Sounds Like...' you'll find yourself saying 'err...it sounds like a beach party with indie rock guitars and err...a bit of gospel singing and err...a bit of..err electro dance...' (which presumably is the point). So, to save you the trouble of trying to describe what 'Sound's Like...' actually sounds like, just describe the accompanying dance routine, which will consist of: 'BIG-FISH-LITTLE-FISH-CARDBOARD BOX-MOSH-HULAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!'.

A mixed bag in every sense of the word, 'Back in The Dog House' is a summer soundtrack to take you from the beach to the garden and then to the clubs. Don't leave home without it.