[Review] Delphic disappoints dancers

Meh. That's pretty much all you need to know about Delphic's second album, Collections. It falls well short of expectations. The British band flips between alternative rock and dance styles, and their music ends up a mismatch of the two genres instead of a well-executed hybrid.

Elements of dance music are present, but melded with such soft rock, it's not loud enough to dance or sing along to. So forget about head banging or fist pumping, unless being in a rocking chair is your idea of a good time.

Lead singer James Cook has a voice that could well be described as an acquired taste - it's slightly whiney (think of an emo teen with a high-pitched voice), peppered with some falsetto here and there. It's definitely not bad, but it's distracting.

And how can you appreciate the slow, subtle progressions of a track if you're having trouble deciphering its lyrics? Cook either sounds like he's dragging his vowels on and on, or trying his hand at delivering poetry over a dance beat. There's even an ill-advised rap verse in Exotic.

Collections is mediocre and confusing at best. It won't appeal to fans of dance tracks, but it's relaxing enough to listen to during a long commute to school.