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Grand Popo Football Club 'Shampoo Victims'

added 02 July 2003 at 05.29

From hyper-slick grooves to urban roots adaptation, disco sloganeering to collaborations with Sparks, ‘Shampoo Victims’ is a knowing, uniquely open minded collection of tunes.

Unfortunately, the Grand Popo FC boys are somewhat lacking in generosity when concerning the number of tracks on their album, and out of a measly ten, there are only five amazing cuts. The other half, though, are a little lacklustre and less considered, leading to speculation that they are merely filler.

‘Shampoo Victims’ embraces variation and eclecticism, giving the tracks a distinct and modern sound. At its best it’s a quirky, exciting album with delightfully provocative lyrics, layered with irony and, occasionally, out and out sarcasm. Elsewhere though, it is often lightweight, going for humour rather than depth.

Easily the catchiest track, current single ‘Men Are Not Nice Guys’ brings scat-style vocals into the mix while the lyrics hint at anally retentive, male dance purist attitudes. ‘La Poesie C’est Fini’ offers smart lyrics and a tangy French twist. ‘One More Song On The Market’ mocks its own Daft Punk-oid effectiveness as a vocoder’d out floor filler and ‘Nothing to Say in a House Song’ is a final tease on the subject.

Overall, the album is a bit of a tease. Often the tracks leave you cold, but the handful of tracks that are good are fantastic, making it all worthwhile.

Grand Popo Football Club 'Shampoo Victims' (Arista) Released April 7 2003

Sophie Bullock

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