The occasional Renaissance series ‘Sidetracked’ looks like being an interesting diversion, though La Roux have a lot to live up to after the excellent compilation from Hercules & Love Affair last year. Things take a while to get going, though the influence on their music is clear – so as Japan, Joyce Sims and Fever Ray rub shoulders we get a look at the different aspects of the band’s personality. When things do get more interesting, with Tears For Fears’ ‘Suffer The Children’, Blancmange ‘What’s Your Problem’ and the SebastiAn mix of Kavinsky’s ‘Testarossa Autodrive’ – an 80s homage if ever there was one – there is still the feeling of a home mix tape that doesn’t quite have the continuity to sustain itself. Ending with Gerry Rafferty is a strange but brave move, but it seems La Roux can’t quite decide whether this is a compilation to stay in with or hit the club to.
3 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Ben Hogwood
