Cajun Dance Party - This Colourful Life

by Lisa Holmes

It's a wonderful life (if you're under 20, signed for 5 years, and making records this good)

"As the natural successors to The Cure, Cajun Dance Party quickly demonstrate a tendency to over dramatise and a song book dripping in heartbreaking intensity."

Much has been made of the youth of the Cajuns (all are now in their late teens) mainly because they were so exceptionally young when they first broke on the A&R Radar – just 15 years old. Their A level studies have continued against the backdrop of XL records deals and debut album recording sessions. Just why they have chosen summer exam time to release the album remains a bit of a mystery, but when you hear rumours that a second album is due later this year all becomes a little clearer.

As the natural successors to The Cure, Cajun Dance Party quickly demonstrate a tendency to over dramatise and a song book dripping in heartbreaking intensity. Soaring instrumentals create a wall of sound that falls somewhere between the West London ‘scene’ that spawned the likes of Good Shoes, Maccabees and Jack Penate and the expansive Canadian indie of Metric and Broken Social Scene.

Clocking in at just over 35 minutes ‘Colourful Life’ is a short sharp shock to the system, it may have taken two years to reach this point but it is packed with pacy hits in waiting, such as ‘The Next Untouchable’ and begs the question; if this is for starters then how good will the main course be?

The five piece, including singer Daniel Blumberg and classically trained violinist Robbie Stern, famously enjoy the patronage of indie royalty in the form of Bernard Butler. Second single ‘Amylase’ impressed him so much he offered to produce it, followed shortly afterwards by the entire album. Who knew A-Level enzyme knowledge could be such a good indie blagging tool?

Ultimately there is a freshness to their music and this record, stirring pop chorus’ and hit single ‘The Race’ drive along at an exhilarating rate, youth has something to do with it – but ideas on the other hand are everything.

From the different vocal takes of Blumberg and keyboardist Vicky Freund, to the slower tempo of ‘Buttercups’ the Colourful Life lives up to its title comparable on the grandest of scales – like an impressionist painting. Who cares if it is not classical art, the ideas and vivid colours bring this album to life in a flash.

Mendelsohn said on May 17th 2008 [report abuse]

I think you're wrong; I think they're rubbish.

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