The self-titled debut from Clor might not be quite what you'd expect from an outfit formed from members of Roots Manuva's live band, but this album is anything but a disappointment. Taking inspiration from the angular electronic post-punk of mid-period Devo, the pure techno pulse of Kraftwerk, and the enigmatic wordplay of Pavement, Clor is adventurous, original and unusually, for such experimentally-tinged albums, almost criminally tuneful. Kicking off with the excellent "Good Stuff", singer-guitarist Barry Dobbin immediately nails his eccentric colours to the mast, singing about sucking up poison "though a curly straw" over metronomic beats and neat stabs of guitar. Interestingly, Clor seldom turn to that old chestnut of rock, the distortion pedal: "Love + Pain" is so clean the melody veritably sparkles, while "Dangerzone" slows things down and spaces out, like a 21st Century remake of Kraftwerk?s spartan "Radioactivity". Meanwhile, on "Hearts On Fire", they pull that trick that few but the Super Furry Animals can successfully pull off, morphing from rock song to techno workout with such eminent skill you can barely see the join. A remarkable debut. --Louis Patterson
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