By rights, in the ultra-cutting edge dance arena, the daffily likeable duo of Nick Franglen and Fred Deakin shouldn't stand a chance. They're just too damn warm, human and normal to get anywhere. Yet the last time W&H encountered them - on a blissfully balmy summer night - they were gleefully rocking a monster crowd at London's Somerset House and wallowing in the adulation.
And new single "Stay With You" (from 2005's soon-come "'64' - '95" album) won't do anything to deflate the goodwill most of us feel towards them either. This time it finds our dynamic duo seamlessly shoehorning breakbeats, swirly soul and (wait for it) a sample of Arran-sweater folk duo Gallagher & Lyle into their jelly mould. And guess what? It works a treat. Within a couple of minutes, the summer's come flooding back. The bastards: how do they get away with this?
Typically, the two B-sides are equally yummy. "Rolled" finds a sparkly, acoustically-scrubbed premise leading into something of exquisitely floaty, faux-Eastern grandeur and drama aplenty. But where's the unlikely sample? A-ha - it's the Lieutenant Columbo method - they've waited to bring him on as long as possible and now he finally arrives: it's a sampled Paul Rodgers, singing Bad Company's "Feel Like Makin' Love"! And it's bleedin' excellent. The bastards! They've done it again!
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Inevitably, we wait for the third track to be great. And (sigh) it is. This time it's all warped-out analogue warbling and droning that blossoms into something percussive and strident and nails your synapses to the wall within 30 seconds or so. And the totally inappropriate, but genius sample? Well obviously - it's from "Peaches" by grunge flash-in-the pans The Presidents of The United States. And naturally, it'll be running around my head for...ooh, about the next 50 or so days until their album is unleashed. The unmitigated, devious, brilliant buggers!
So yeah, they've done it again basically. Meanwhile, your reviewer's off for a long lie down while he tries to shake the hooks from these three songs out of his mind. Huh? Who the hell is he kidding?
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