Baxendale You Will Have Your Revenge CD

Baxendale: Tim Benton (vocals, programming); Alex Mayor (guitar, Theremin, background vocals); Senay Segut (keyboards, background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Brian O'Shaughnessy.
Recording information: Bark Studios; Orange Room.
Baxendale exists in a place where pop meets Euro-dance with a sincere love for the '60s. Like the cover art (a map of London's subway system), each song on You Will Have Your Revenge travels to a slightly different place in the London underground club scene. Some songs opt for a techno feel, while others venture into very poppy territory. Whatever the case, Baxendale loves synthetic sounds and the bandmembers have a knack for making the cheesiest of sounds seem palatable. Tim Benton delivers bouncy vocals with the deadpan delivery of Pulp's Jarvis Cocker in his exaggerated, dramatic style. Though neo-synth poppers Ladytron may be somewhat more convincingly serious, Baxendale has more fun. And truly, novelty seems a high priority for this crew, as the record's leadoff track, "Music for Girls," sets a humorous, self-effacing tone. Though much of their shtick is tongue in cheek, they keep their social commentary to a minimum. Baxendale is in a difficult place though, aiming to be critical in such an uncritical forum as Euro-dance music. And listeners may be reluctant to buy a Baxendale record when they could buy an album by the genre's masters, the Pet Shop Boys. In this regard, Baxendale has succeeded in updating the form of dance-pop from the more credible indie side of things, rather than reworking moronic dance tracks for a major label. Thankfully, not every track is bouncy electro fun. Some take their time and, though hinting at an electronic infatuation, they aren't quite as suitable for Saturday night club fun. Although critical, the members of Baxendale for the most part enjoy being immersed in the realm of dance-pop and they do it superbly, mixing oddly placed beats and lyrics within a well-balanced danceable pop tune. ~ Ken Taylor