Producer/DJ Mark Ronson, known for his sceney fashion and remixes full of funky beats and big horn sections, turns his attention to Domino Kirke and her band, and comes up with, surprisingly, something other than funky beats and big horns. The band landed an opening spot for Lily Allen last year in NY and LA, but we’ll need an album’s worth of material to fully evaluate the band’s staying potential. For the most part, the few songs on the EP stand up to repeat listens — from the radio-ready, synth-driven rock ballad “Everyone Else Is Boring”, through the reggae-driven “Tropical Moonlight”, to the sweet and inconsequential “Green Umbrella”. Kirke’s voice sounds now like Kelly Clarkson, now like Robyn, now like Lily Allen, but she may have to work harder to achieve the easy appeal of those other pop princesses. Maybe it’s trying a bit too hard — the chaotic tangle of guitars at the end of the title track feels forced, and the conceit of the third doesn’t hold up the way, say, a song about statues by Regina Spektor might. But no real problem, this — by means of continual tease, Domino keeps us waiting for their debut: “I just want to have fun ‘cos I’m young and curious”.
Domino: Everyone Else Is Boring
Domino
Allido
2006