In the summer of 2010, Northern Ireland’s Two Door Cinema Club seriously broke out. The County Down band went from playing little noticed shows to Hong-freakin’-Kong, thanks to March’s Tourist History. Now History gets a deluxe edition re-release for all of those who are catching up.
Two Door’s breakthrough earned comparisons to Vampire Weekend of a few years ago (QRO live review), not so much for the heights (Two Door hasn’t appeared on The Colbert Report – yet…), but for also trafficking in ‘afro-pop’ mixed, speedy rhythms and high, smiling charm. But the Northern Irish lads go bigger and far more danceable with electronics, without being an ‘electronic band’. Opener “Cigarettes In the Theatre” and the penultimate “Eat That Up, It’s Good For You” do it best (though closer “You’re Not Stubborn” is relatively forgettable, compared to the rest of the album), bopping and catchy without being shallow or grating. The disco-dance elements can go overboard, such as in “This Is the Life”, but generally are well-integrated into the whole, and Two Door show a darker side with “I Can Talk”, plus channel eighties nighttime nightlife – including funky bass – in “What You Know”.
The deluxe edition of Tourist History includes one original piece at the start, “Kids”, which would have been better on the ‘proper’ album than “Stubborn”. However, the other ten bonus tracks are all remixes (three of breakthrough single “Undercover Martyn”, one of upcoming single “What You Know”, and two each of other singles “I Can Talk”, “Come Back Home”, and “Something Good Can Talk”) which are your standard over-extended, over-indulgent remixes, starting with the Whatever/Whatever remix of “Undercover” at eight-and-a-half minutes in length (only two clock in under four minutes, and none under three). The “Undercover” remixes are the most overdone, while “Come Back Home” gives the remixers the most to work with.
If you missed out on Tourist History the first time ‘round, you’re probably best just getting the original, not the deluxe edition – and if you did catch ‘em & Tourist, you can probably find “Kids” online and skip the remixes. But that doesn’t take away from the strong underlying record, which combines all sorts of elements that have been annoying on their own – afro-pop, disco, electro-dance – and makes something simply enjoyable.
MP3 Stream: “Eat That Up Its Good For You”
