Does It Offend You Yeah?
You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into

The older tracks lose any swagger they once had amongst the turgid, indie, commerical. bollocks that fills out the rest.

It's completely conflicting, they need to decide whether to be a straight out electro band like Digitalism, Justice, et al, or a samey indie band cashing in on a scene by adding some synths.

…so you'd both rather the band committed to one sound, so as not to confuse you, and became really boring by making all their songs sound the same?

Why, exactly, do they need to decided whether to be a straight-out electro band like Digitalism or Justice? There are people already doing that. For my mind, no one's doing this kind of 'throw everything till something sticks', joyously all-over-the-place party nonsense, and I'd rather have that.

I knew people would hate this record. It falls between too many stalls – it's not 'credible' enough for the likes of Pitchfork, it doesn't take itself seriously enough for most musos (seemingly DiS included), it's not full-on dance enough for the DJ mags. But it's absolutely ace. I haven't been able to stop playing it since I was sent it about three months ago. And they replicate it perfectly live, and then some.

But then, no one took Pop Will Eat Itself seriously at the time either. History sometimes ends up being kind to those who fall down the cracks.

is the phrase i would use to describe this band.

They aren't bad but not particularly good either. I agree with the review in that its the type of music you could lazily play at a party in the hope of not offending anyone.

In leu of that i would've given it 5\10 but thats just me nit-picking.

This is typical of a lot that happened last year.

1. Band writes good demo posts on myspace
2. Band gets given money
3. Band stops writing songs
4. Band releases album anyway
5. Album universally panned by all

A 4/10 is generous AD...that's, like, almost average. Otherwise, spot on.

but only when it seems natural, here it just seems contrite, like 2 different bands merged onto a CD, leaving it an unfocused mess.

Why did their sound change so much? Change of direction or record company pressure to sell records and justify early hype?

I don't think there's too much snobbery going on, I just think people have seen through the record for what it is; average at best. I don't think it has anything to do with them being 'UK lads', Simian Mobile Disco never got stick for it.

to Pop Will Eat Itself again and I will hunt you down, nail you to a table and pour glowstick juice over your whimpering face until it dissolves.

Oh, the humanity.

if it was lads (football, beer, girls) or just lads (a collective of males).

I'm not hating the fact they were on a major, I remember first reading about them in Music Week when they signed to Virgin, so I've never known any different.

Is there anything more irritating than someone telling you that the problem you have with a band isn't the problem you thought you had - usually that you don't like the music - but actually because you have a big big problem with them signing to a major label? I don't think you can presume to know why someone dislikes a band if it's not something they've stated outright.

4/10 is still very harsh the album does have some very good songs (even if they have been heard before) and With A Heavy Heart [I Regret To Inform You] isn't a bad new song either. I'd give it a 6/10. And they are amazing live still.

the fact that they've overused the vocoder… the single most annoying thing invented.

...listens to hardcore and punk on a regular basis (the most unoriginal and samey genre out there) any time I come across a band that plays something different, like electro or indie or whatever you want to call it, and manages to catch me by surprise is a good band in my opinion and DIOYY seem to have done that. Yeah, good for you 'musophiles' and self-professed experts on every single genre of music, if you want to talk shit on every band that doesn't conform to your idea of perfect music then go ahead, no one is stopping you, we'll just sit in our corner listening to the tunes like the ones on this album that make us happy while you make yourself look like fucking dickheads, yeah?