Champagne Riot - Paris & I
(Shelflife Records)

Somewhere between the melodic realms of The Radio Dept. and Sambassadeur's "Migration" exists Champagne Riot's contribution to the Scandinavian electropop scene. The production is fantastic, the voice resting perfectly amongst the swells of synthesizers and the hammering of programmed drums, and the songwriting is usually quite solid, producing interesting twists and turns down alleys and avenues not necessarily expected, all without sacrificing the melodic core of the music... Unfortunately, "Paris and I" treads very little new ground. "Before we wave goodbye" wouldn't feel too out of place on "Lesser matters", opener "Scandinavian warfare" echoes the driving, orchestral pop of Sambassadeur's latest effort; in fact there's very little to be found on "Paris and I" that one can confidently label unique. This said, Champagne Riot do not come off as mere imitators and have actually produced a rather entertaining collection of songs. The band's main failing is that they try to burrow into the exact same part of your heart that other acts have already established residence within.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson