Even if Top of the Pops was a regular feature on your TV schedule back in the mid 1990s, you still could have blinked and missed the Scottish trio, Bis.
The first - and only - band to appear on TOTP without a record deal, they made a little bit of a coo with their single ‘Kandy Pop’ back in the days of Britpop. And their success spread far and wide – notably right across to Japan, where ‘Kandy Pop’ is still a Karaoke favourite. If you’re too young to remember, check it out here.
Now Bis are defunct (2003) and lead singer, Manda’s going it alone. Cue debut solo album, ‘My DNA’. Full of disco-pop beats and guitar-singed tunes, she’s kept those Bis-like edges in check. This time however, it’s a little bit more sophisticated – although she is still wearing hairclips.
‘My DNA’ courses a path of funky beats and cute choruses. It’s electro, slightly retro, sometimes guitar-based pop. But it’s more than that; it’s doll pop. Picture a doll’s house full of dancing, rosy-cheeked dolls with perfect hair and floral shift dresses and you’ve got the perfect accompaniment to this album.
The songs build upon 80s-style synths and 90s-style attitude. There’s everything from Duran Duran-esque moments – on ‘Break Up/Breakdown’ to Shampoo-like shouty-pop on ‘Guilty Pleasures’. Occasionally the vocals sound slightly wavering and don’t quite have the power to carry the chorus (such as on ‘Bad Things Happen To Bad People’), but then that’s probably because she’s not shouting anymore.
The stand-out track, without a doubt, is the new single and title track, ‘My DNA’. Mixing pop-perfect vocals with a melody that gets inside your head, you’ll be roller-discoing to this kitsch, electro-pop in no time. In fact, probably around September 8th when she releases it.
Best new band in Glasgow, by a mile!
...Any more snooker cliches?
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Do the static!!!
I love this album with a passion. ^_^
I feel like music has been going in the wrong direction for a couple years, Manda's pulling us back to when music was better and is breathing some fresh air into it. Same with bands like The Ting Tings, CSS, The Noisettes, etc etc etc...
People should learn from her.
Can't wait for her USA tour!
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