Don't get dizzy
After being previously enchanted by Rubicks releases of 'Is This Love?' and 'Giddy Up' way back in 2010 which both ruffled our feathers with crunchy beats, distorted, emotionally charged, husky female vocals and infectious beats, here comes their sophomore album, "The Rise Of The Giddy" which incidentally includes those two singles. It seems a long while between the release of those tracks and this full length, but no matter, this record has the same nods to Blondie and Siouxsie Sioux and a strong electro edge, with some addictive melodies and those super sexy vocals they manage to make that 80s retro sound interesting rather than stale, unlike so many others who have tried.
As well as those great singles, 'Glory Of The Fall' grabs you immediately with dreamy string and vocal effects and one of the best melodies on the album, 'Surrender' stands out with lovely guitar riffs, squidgy electro beats and a ton of distortion. Like the other tracks this one has a dark side, but one of the best things about the Rubicks' sound is that they do electro with a moody side but it never feels cold and impersonal; the whole album has a warm sound, you actually feel part of it, not separated from a distance and listening with a chin stroking critical ear.
There are a couple of low points on the album unfortunately. 'Black And Blue' feels like filler; it drifts and doesn't grab you, in fact you may not even notice it's happened. The same can be said for 'Intermezzo', and to a certain degree, 'Wasted'. Generally, even though the overall tone is great, it can be a bit samey at times with the same squidgy beat used time and time again, and not a huge amount of variety in the background electro sounds. Luckily the stand-out tracks are really solid, so good that they carry the record through and you keep listening despite the odd glitch in the machine.