Singles

Mystery Jets - You Can't Fool Me Dennis

Tim Miller 22/05/2006

Rating: 4/5

Yet another success story for 2006, the Zane Lowe touted Mystery Jets release their new single, its much-discussed title taken from Maggie Thatcher's Tory leadership days pillowtalk to husband Dennis.

Mystery Jets have been dividing critics, lauded by some and derided by others. Their sound that seems a fusion of so many others: Killers, Futureheads, Arcade Fire and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, yet never becomes too familiar, not least because of the stop start nature of this single, the whole song appearing to be made up of similar sounding yet stand alone sections cleverly spliced together. You Can't Fool Me Dennis is all very pleasant, a very musical indie single, with mandolins and pianos thrown in for good measure. The best bits are the crescendo/decrescendo verses, stage musical throwbacks that conjure up pictures of a story being played out in a theatre before you.

With this single, the Mystery Jets remain just that, a mystery. Drawing on a huge variety of snippets of inspiration, and blending them into their own quirky sound, the Jets can easily border on irritating, or unique, or tired, or fascinating. That they cross so many boundaries yet settle nowhere may, however, ultimately be their downfall.