Love Dance are unfortunately hobbled by a non-descriptive and really quite lame band name. It's a shame, because the Norwegian group's debut full-length is a thoroughly pleasant burst of winsome, jangly twee pop songs, shot through with "ba-ba-ba" harmonies, lovestruck falsetto lead vocals, hypnotic rhythm guitar parts that sound heavily inspired by all but forgotten college radio faves like the
Ocean Blue,
Velocity Girl, and the
Kitchens of Distinction, and an overall sense of nostalgia for the late-'80s to mid-'90s heyday of indie labels specializing in 7" singles kitted out in duotone fold-over sleeves housed in clear plastic bags. What keeps
Result from being merely nostalgia for aging hipsters is the fact that the band's songs are genuinely good, with a melodic heft too often lacking from some of the style's more shambolic lesser lights and a knack for catchy, instantly singable choruses. Even the mostly instrumental "Unsympathetic Ways" manages to keep the listener's attention where it would normally wander. It's likely that an existing affection for the indie pop old school is necessary or close to it for
Result to work its full charms, but folks in that category will immediately take to this.