The Research - Breaking Up (EMI / At Large)
4/5
By: Thomas Hannan
God bless Robbie Williams. Really, I mean it. Even though 'Rock DJ' is, undeniably, the worst song ever written of all time (get me drunk and I'll rant in a surprisingly coherent, oft-rehearsed, logically demonstrable fashion about exactly why), we owe him our love. For it's the likes of him, the otherwise inexcusable Williams, who make the big boys all the money - who allow people who work for EMI to chuck some cash behind - The Research!
The exclamation mark there is a deliberate one, as in a way, it's something of a joke, isn't it? Think of every twee band you've ever heard, think Belle & Seb, think Moldy Peaches, Camera Obscura - now put them in a box marked 'actually rather not that twee, now that I've heard The Research'. It's so cutsey-wootsey that the temptation is to keep on adding words to that which rhyme with 'cutsey' ('shmootsey' and 'bootsey' were next on my list) to describe it accurately. But EMI, bless their one hundred percent silk socks, love it. And call me a cardigan, but so do I.
It's a lad on keys with singing some tales about how girls have really screwed him over, like, every goddamn time he's ever started to get a little bit close to a lass who he thought might really, truly, be The One, flanked by two women (who for all we know might have been the subjects of such songs at some point or other - coo), on bass and drums respectively. They all sing at the same time, ba ba ba-ing like little lambs, harmonising on yarns so simple and true to everyone who'll ever put the record on that they've just got to strike a little bit of a chord.
They're incredibly catchy too - this being the sole reason why this kitsch fest really works. When not being let down by pretty women, you imagine Russell Searle is totally loving his life, throwing himself in to Beach Boys records and anything that you can whistle as if you don't have a care in the world - which is exactly what you can do with every last sugary, brutally honest but poptastically perfect note of 'Breaking Up'. Thanks for this, Rob.
Artists in this article: The Research
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