Yahoo! Music Review

Released on 02/06/08
Label: 679 Records

The clue lies in the soft focus cover shot of the band leaning homo-erotically on each other, all '80s big hair, pink jeans and skinny ties. For their latest eccentricity, Mystery Jets are delving into the kind of blue eyed plastic soul flogged by ABC, Prefab Sprout, Deacon Blue et al, following in the surprisingly successful recent footsteps of Alphabeat.

Like their "Fascination", "Two Doors Down" is catchy and accomplished, the chiming synths and brisk guitars setting up a big, summery chorus, while Blaine Harrison's vocal has the same gusto as Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch at his most carefree. Yes, it's all going very well indeed, right up until a horrible, kitschy sax solo bursts into proceedings. And then you take another look at that cover and start to wonder if dread irony has its sticky fingerprints all over "Two Doors Down", and it's suddenly not so much fun any more.

    by Jaime Gill