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Various Artists – Scootitunes #1 (Scootitude)

Scootitunes #1 (Scootitude)
Scootitunes #1 (Scootitude)
Note that I independently write and research everything in this article. But it may contain affiliate links.

Having just reviewed the Acid Jazz Hipsters 3 album, I thought this Scootitunes #1 album would be a nice compare and contrast.

The album is from Scootitude Magazine, a French magazine that’s effectively a much cooler version of Scootering. Except it’s in French, which might cause a problem if you don’t know that language. It looks good though, that’s for sure.

Anyway, the magazine has done a compilation album, which, like Hipsters, is something of a ‘state of mod’ thing, covering 15 tracks and with minimal packaging. But never mind the sleeve, it’s all about the music here. And the music is good, very good, reaching a little further than Hipsters, but remaining very much contemporary.

First up, a track off The Broken Vinyl Club’s debut album, with Every Inch offering up a very good reason to go out and buy the band’s excellent take on a ’60s beat sound.

After that, the genres come and go. Hawa’s Catch A Fire is lovely modern soul groove (but with one foot very much in the past), Mr Day’s Tears Of Joy reminds me more than a little of early Style Council stuff, while Dead Inside by Penelope goes all indie guitar with a hint of psychedelia. You get the idea.

This is a French compilation, so the inclusion of a French language groove shouldn’t come as any surprise. Enter The Rebels of Tijuana with Absorbe Par Le Beat, a touch of old school new wave for the modern era.

Also here is the superb I Wanna Know by Towerbrown (a mix of vintage R&B and energetic guitar pop, the end result better than it sounds), some vintage guitar rock from Kitchenmen (Phereomones), funky jazz, as you might expect, from The Link Quartet (Fast Girls and Sexy Cars) and something I can’t quite categorise from The Red Inspectors, going by the name of The Apology Squad. A touch ’60s pop I’d guess – and very good. Might have to get a copy of their album.

Wrapping things up is the wonderfully funky and laid back My Show by Kicca and Intrigo, the ever-reliable DC Fontana with the extremely full-on La Contessa (think wild late ’60s nightclub and you’re halfway there), some wonderful 60s-style pop from The Pepper Pots with You’re Still In My Mind, more funky grooves from Nick Pride and the Pimptones (Come and Get It), The Moonstones go all R&B (in the band sense) with Fuzz Farfisa Y Fiesta and finally, the much talked-about Pony Taylor, proving just why with Chasing Echoes (Of Your Love). Fans of the Britpop era, apply here.

Not a duff track on here to be honest and without trying, an album that shows how wide the term ‘mod band’ reaches in 2012.

Samples of all the tracks on the album can be found here and if you want a copy, you can buy it directly from Scootitude. The album purchase page is here.

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