Heloise & The Savoir Faire Trash, Rats & Microphones

Heloise & the Savoir Faire should attempt to build a time machine so they can travel back to the New York scene of the late ’70s they love so much, because they would be so happy on a bill at CBGB with their idols. Yet they also try to sound kitschy and that’s where they begin to encounter problems, as there’s a thin line between sincere and disingenuous, and they aren’t sure where they stand. Still, celebrity endorsements from Elijah Wood and Debbie Harry have ensured that the band have received more than their fair share of attention. Receiving not only Harry’s stamp of approval but also her guest vocals on a couple of tracks means that there are plenty of comparisons to Blondie, which are fitting because there’s no doubt that Heloise dons a platinum blonde wig every Halloween. The problem is that their debut is a bit of a one trick pony — the initial adrenaline burst soon subsides like a sugar high, as every song falls into a similar groove, and it isn’t until the midpoint of the album that it finds its feet. But it doesn’t last, and while a casual listen to Trash might provoke the same kind of response as the retro-glam of the Scissor Sisters, long-term exposure is remarkably unsatisfying, as there isn’t much hiding below that ever-so-fashionable sheen. (Yep Roc)

• More Heloise & The Savoir Faire