Perhaps solace can be found in the fact that 'Toca's Miracle' sold over half a million copies. It must be good - the pop kids love it! But it was inevitable really. Ever since 'Toca's Miracle' tranced its way to the Number One spot last year, it was to be expected that Fragma would make a whole album of as many sonic replicas as they could possibly get away with.
Fragma - brothers Marco and Dirk Duderstadt plus Ramon Zenker, one half of Nineties duo Hardfloor - have just about pulled it off too. Take one sketchy outline of a track. Heap in a few spoonfuls of thumping drumbeats. Add varying vocal parts - only female though. Stir in some extraneous strings or synths. Et voila! Success is in the bag.
According to the ever-so reliable press release, 'Toca' "showcases the euro-dance sound". Guess that means that Fragma are to dance what Vengaboys are to pop - decaffeinated, meaningless and vacuous drivel that the kids just don't seem to be able to get enough of. The word euro-dance stirs horrid flashbacks of Robert Miles. Essentially, this is just a modern day take on a sound that has been present in some shape or form for years.
Credit where credit's due though - there are one or two tracks that imbed themselves into the little clubber inside every one of us. And this will no doubt sell by the truckload because 'Toca' is chock-a-block with run of the mill, trance-y anthems. A glimmer of hope is current single 'Everytime You Need Me' which tramples all over 'Toca's Miracle' and would be a more deserving Number One. Featuring Maria Rubia's floaty voice, it's a stirring end-of-the-night tune that is every bit as pleasantly catchy as 'Toca's Miracle' was irritating.
Not exactly sure what the trio mean by 'Toca Me', a reprise of - yep, you've guessed it- 'Toca's Miracle'. But it's the final track on the album, and classic tunes, these are not. In light of little especially riveting on this record, the odd track will do just fine as dancefloor filler material. It'd take a something really magical to lift this album out of the wasteland that is the Top 40. Like a miracle.
