single // Txt Msg
Vic
Twenty's 'Txt Msg' is the debut single on Daniel Miller's
new independent label Credible Sexy Units. This is not to
be confused with a dancefloor-hugging single (credited to Vic
20 & Sinclair and titled 'Nikita') which was released on
another Mute Records offshoot, Future Groove, some
time ago. 'Txt Msg' is an incredibly accomplished 9-minute single
that feels like it has been made by a well-established and long-running
act.
Starting
with the live favourite, 'Txt Msg', a fast-pieced slice of high-energy
electronic pop delivered by Adrian Morris, the song surveys
the latest trend in relationship break-ups - the good old mobile
phone. It appears to run through a list of well-trodden excuses
'It's not you / It's me' and 'I'd like to tell you / Face
to face'. Far from being an advert for last year's technology,
the refreshingly lush combination of swift, arpeggiated melodies
and crisp beats appears to offer more of a cynical view of society.
Although at the same time, maybe they're just having fun?
'Hell
To Helsinki', sung by Angie Penhaligon (Piney Gir),
is further evidence of their leanings toward the eighties pop of
Depeche Mode, at least on their seminal debut Speak &
Spell LP. The song, driven by a fantastic melody, is ostensibly
a love song, dealing as it does with themes of devotion and commitment.
The final track, 'Kiss You', is perhaps the strongest track of the
three. The electronic pallette here seems more detailed, more layered,
and it seems to benefit from being just a shade slower than the
previous two tracks. Predominantly sung by Angie, she is joined
by Adrian on the chorus, and the song moves from themes of London
life (Komputer's 'Looking Down On London' springs to mind)
to the excitement of a first kiss, with just an edge of darkness
lurking beneath its shiny electronic exterior.
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