Kid Carpet - Casio Royale (Sunday Best)

Going by his second album, it's a problem that's he's well aware of, as the styles here tend to bounce around between dark, menacing electro, sunny bubblegum Lily Allen-esque pop, and irritatingly twee jokey throwaway numbers. Now, can you guess where the problem lies?

It starts off pretty well though. Hitting The Wall is a fine introduction, backed by the drone of synths and Ed Patrick (aka Kid Carpet himself) snarling and sneering lyrics, before some eerie Aphex Twin sound effects take control. It all seems a long way away from the hyperactive, day-glo figure who jumped around like a hyperactive teenager when supporting acts like Willy Mason a few years ago.

The rest of the album fails to live up to that promise though, unfortunately. Although I Don't Want To Fall In Love With You has a ramshackle charm about it (the cheap sounding Casio keyboard and female backing vocals recalling Leeds indie band The Research), there's a weirdly sluggish feel to the song.

That's not a problem with Still Life, which bounces along irresistibly, even though the backing vocalist is so reminiscent of Lily Allen that she should really check her birth certificate to see if she's one of Keith's many children. Up to this point, Casio Royale is quite fun, although there remains the well-founded suspicion that Patrick's vocals will become wearying by the end of the record.

The problem arises when the old novelty tag raises its head again. Can't Stop The Drop is bad enough, a 2 minute jaunt simply consisting of the Kid repeating "you can't stop for pop" endlessly, but Ace Like Space could well win an award for most irritating song of the year, unless of course a ridiculously tinny synth riff with the lyrics "I think you're ace, I think you're skill, I think you're ace like space" rocks your boat.

So by the time the album comes to the end, it's all starting to become incredibly grating. That same cheap sounding synth is plastered over every single track and Patrick's voice, stretched over the course of an album, is enough to make you jab a rusty spoon down your ear. At fifteen tracks too, the album's far too long - maybe an EP of songs in this style would sound quite refreshing, but 45 minutes is pushing it to the very limit.

It could be that Kid Carpet makes much more sense as a live experience, but that natural evervessence has failed to materialise on this second album. It's an interesting approach, but likely to be one that will test the patience of a saint over the course of an album.

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