CINERAMA Va Va Voom (Cooking Vinyl)
Cinerama is the side project of Weddingpresent mainstay David Gedge and his girlfriend Sally, and finds him casting aside the guitar-driven relationship angst of his day job in favour of, er, string and keyboard driven relationship angst. Yes, "Va Va Voom" is effectively a Weddingpresent album in all but name, albeit a more sugary sweet Weddingpresent than we’ve heard before, and a rather better one than recent memory suggests - it’s certainly the best thing Gedge has put his name to since 1994’s "Watusi".
But that’s not saying much, to be honest. "Va Va Voom" ploughs roughly the same field as the last Saint Etienne album - jangly pop songs in love with the less endearing aspects of the Sixties - except without the kitsch (well, most of it) and The Cardigans, and with guest appearances from a league of minor indie superstars (including members of The Delgados, The Church, Pusha and Animals That Swim).
All very pleasant, if not particularly memorable, but unlikely to appeal to anybody who isn’t already a Weddingpresent enthusiast.