Europop

I'm Blue... I'm Blue... I'm Blue... Enough!
by: peter naldrett

We're two months into the new millennium and so far there has been a noticeable lack of get-up-and-dance pop bands blistering their way up the charts. But have no fear, because the vacuum is about to be filled by Eiffel 65 and their bass-heavy debut album, Europop.

Taking over where 2 Unlimited left off in the 90s, Eiffel 65 are a kind of 3 Unlimited, just as cheesy and wearing matching E-65 outfits on the album cover of my copy. Everybody will recognise the album's greatest track, "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" after it shot up the single charts last summer and became an instant dancefloor hit. And while Blue's quality as a dance record is undeniable, it's just a pity that nothing else on Europop comes up to that kind of standard, the other 12 songs being nothing but leg-tapping pulp for Friday nights out.

"Move Your Body" is the second single and went straight into the top 5, but it's nothing special and blends into other unremarkable tracks like "Too Much Of Heaven" and "Living In A Bubble." The other decent effort is "My Console," a homage to the Sony Playstation in the unmistakable style of 2 Unlimited.

Europop is influenced heavily by pop-culture themes, with endless Internet and 21st Century references, but at the end of the day there are few new ideas and the electronic voice that found fame on "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" is so over-played on every track that you will end up hating it.