Neon Circus – Don't Get Panicked

The news that James Murphy is retiring his LCD Soundsystem project has caused dismay in his fans, a group Neon Circus clearly count themselves firmly part of. However, Neon Circus's own take on the electronic overdone sample/live instrument combination sounds lumpish and cack-handed, lacking inventive bite to back up the swagger.

The band clearly also like DJ Shadow (the evidence: the track S.W.A.G), and the influence of Primal Scream’s XTRMNTR era, Second Coming era Stone Roses and fellow Leicestrians Kasabian can be heard in the 14 tracks. The album works best when the band ignore the dancefloor and turn out something a bit more creative – the title track is an atmospheric, horizontal guitar workout and Remember replaces the blokish shouting with a haunting female vocal and some shimmering percussion. A lighter touch might have revealed something a bit more unique, but the subtlety gets rather lost among all the electro bravado. [Euan Ferguson]