Play 90 second soundbite of 'Forbidden Kiss' @ 'CD quality'
The Rrrs do up-tempo nu-wave pop that's straight in yer face brazen. No apologies, no cover-up, this is pure, sugary sweet danceable pop! You'll either totally love it or absolutely hate it!! Gimmicky? Possibly - but it does make you smile! Think The Archies meets Altered Images meets X-Ray Spex - throw in some punkish cheek, turn up the popability factor, mix it all up and throw away the recipe - hey presto, The Rrrs!
I'm sure that one thing The Rrrs will get bored with will be all the references to vocal intonation and delivery coz vocalist Maxima Moog certainly has an individual style; the Singapore born songsmith/vocalist/guitarist seems to be on a mission to fuse western indie/pop with south-east Asian influences - well she's defo got off to a good start here!! The Rrrs don't even try to cover up their penchant for all things banal-pop; this spaced out four-piece pop ensemble just lash it out with gay abandon and hope to win over hearts and heads as they plough their musical way through musical convention and stick two fingers up to pop critics and other disbelievers.
I have to admit to being quite impressed by The Rrrs (that in itself is a bit worrying!) - although their music is really too openly pop-side for me, that crass open-ness sure has to be admired coz a lot rests on it! Plus, The Rrrs certainly brought a smile to my face the moment this work opened up - even though some of the rictus was caused by bemused incredulity. So then, will The Rrrs win over the world with their weirdly entertaining way? I'm not sure! Yes they'll probably do quite well coz they carry with them this enormous feel-good factor and happy-feet attitude. But, I can't help thinking that their overall sound will prove to be just to up-front and 'cheeky' to bring them lasting success. Who knows though, anything could happen!!
So, 'My Valentino' / 'Forbidden Kiss' by The Rrrs is certainly a memorable work but, perhaps it's memorable for all the wrong reasons!! The Rrrs are what they are and they do what they do with fire in their bellies and, I'm sure, with smiles on their faces. I'm not too sure whether they'll come out with money in their wallets though!!
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