Album Review

Rose Elinor Dougall – Start/Stop/Synchro

• 3rd Jun 2009

Formerly the singer and keyboardist in three-piece girl group (and masters of wardrobe co-ordination) The Pipettes, Stop/Start/Synchro is Rose Elinor Dougall’s second solo single: three minutes of swooning indie-pop without a handclap in sight.

Less upbeat than her previous recordings, Stop/Start/Synchro sets out to prove once and for all that Ms Rose has well and truly graduated. Yep, the gal in polka dots is all grown up and ready to give Florence and The Machine a run for her Critic’s Choice Award.

Kicking off with gothic keyboard harmonies that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Dresden Dolls EP, Rose’s melancholic indie-pop has little in common with the faux-Motown stylings of ex-band The Pipettes and reminds us instead of folksy twosome and fellow Brighton residents Peggy Sue.

‘I was once beautiful to you,’ Rose croons, and while there’s nowt better than a dollop of unrequited love to get the heart (and guitar) strings a-plucking – we do miss the handclaps. A bit.