Circus

Ladies and gentleman, line up for what has to be one of the strangest albums one is likely to encounter this year (or any other). Usually the exclusive property of Bernard Fèvre, Black Devil Disco Club has opened its doors, attracting an array of talented and eclectic singers to record this dazzling disco-pop opus full of deep, dark, delicious thrills. The artist once described as "Joy Division produced by Giorgio Moroder" pulses through ten tales from the underworld - ten performances in a Circus like no other, with Black Devil as the ringmaster.

The album opens with the apocalyptic visions of Jon Spencer of the legendary Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, before Nancy Fortune transports the listener to a piano bar in a distant galaxy. "X Paradise" is where Aja Emma of Canadian electro-pop outfit Cosmetics chooses to hang, while Faris Badwan of The Horrors is trapped in a dream on "Distrust." Claire Evans of YACHT claims that she would prefer to "Stay Insane" and that if Jesus was to return to Earth we would surely kill him! Thought that was strange? Well here's Nancy Sinatra - yep, that Nancy Sinatra, daughter of Frank, singer of "These Boots Are Made for Walking." Then the gears shift and sequencers pulse like crazy as CocknBullKid prays for salvation. Deeper into the night, like a scene from Videodrome, Nicolas Kerr of Poni Hoax is lost in his screen. For the penultimate track, the Devil himself returns and croons seductively, abetted by new Lo Recordings signing Michael Lovett, and to crown an already unusual listening experience, the extraordinary, seminal Afrika Bambaataa delivers the final words, revealing who and what Black Devil really is...