The Androids : The Androids
Universal Records

Admit it, you know you want to . . . you want me to butcher this CD to within an inch of its life. Do It With Madonna might have raised a smile the first time you heard it, but now it's just another twee novelty hit that you really despise. Cause let's face it, Wheatus and Alien Ant Farm had nothing on this.
    In fact, on this evidence The Androids are little more (or less) than the Australian Busted. So hatchets at the ready cause the album's going to be shite. Unfortunately it's not though, and believe me, I'm as disappointed as you are.

I'll not kid you, on occasions The Androids (snappy title huh?) does dip back into Do It With Madonna territory, particularly on the surrounding Here She Comes and She's An Alien. Even by the title of the latter you can guess that the marketing folk at the record label have their sights set on it as a follow-up single. Let's hope not, not only to save everyone from the cheese, but because there's a small pile of far more palatable pop nuggets to choose from.
    Chief among these dairy product free morsels are the opening trio of Hey You!, Cynical and Brand New Life, all of which give off a kind of Foo Fighters-lite aroma, with addition of lush Def Leppard harmonies on the latter track.

The two UK bonus tracks are surprisingly paletable, but the one that proceeds them, Automatic, has a naggingly familiar guitar melody that I took ages to nail down. This was bugging the shit out of me, as it's a fantastic riff that has brought back fragmented memories of a song I couldn't quite sing along to. Hundred Reasons, Idlewild, Jimmy Eat World, Rival Schools . . . Reme Zero even? Turns out that its a track of Wilt's excellent Bastinado debut. Cormac Battle's angular alt-rockers could be in the money if they have a good lawyer.

So yes . . . The Androids . . . not half as bad as you might have been expecting, and in places really very good indeed. And if that faint praise isn't enough to get you to part with you pennies, there's the bonus of the Do It With Madonna video tacked on the end as well. I'm not helping here am I . . . I'll get my coat.

:: Rowan Shaeffer