'90s, But Not Yet

Exposed
Boom Boom Satellites
Sony, 2008
2.5 stars

NME say that Boom Boom Satellites sound "like the Prodigy fighting Underworld with bloody big sticks", so it comes as no surprise that this album sounds very much entrenched in the '90s. The thing is, despite the current cache in all things '90s, this whole 'big beat' electro-rock thing (not to be confused with the current trend of 'dance-punk') still sounds a bit dated. The guitars and drumbeats on this record have been digitized to within an inch of their lives, and at times the vocal treatment sounds like the Verinocas after a rough night on the tiles. The Japanese can usually get away with a bit more than most (ahem, Five Venoms), but maybe these guys should have held onto Exposed for another ten years and given us time to revisit grunge, brit-pop, rave and the rest of the '90s first.

Artwork: B-

Published in mX, Thursday February 28, 2008