Pirate Robot Midget – It's My Beat Now!

“It’s my beat now!” smirk Pirate Robot Midget. At least they’re upfront, as from the first listen this EP sounds almost entirely plagiarised from other sources. The title track is irritating and repetitive, with Stateside rapper Grand Agent smugly announcing, “I jacked yo’ beat and I ain’t goin’ to court!” Good for you, sir. This is the kind of music that longs to stand out from the crowd but if you forgot to label it in your iTunes you would run the very real risk of confusing it with Justice, Alter Ego, Autokratz or just about any other electro-rock outfit around at the moment. The intro to second track Scarum sounds so like Waters of Nazareth that it’s surprising they do not actually have a lawsuit on their hands. So Undead is a slightly better effort but fails to save what is overall a shoddy collection. Also, they’re from Amsterdam but describe themselves as 'Italian French electro-rock' - go figure. [Emma Kilday]