Manchester dance outfit
Neil Claxton and
Chris Baker, aka
Mint Royale, might not have achieved the same critical kudos or multi-platinum success as fellow genre-straddling electronic duos
Basement Jaxx and
Groove Armada, but their highly inventive sound has become much more ubiquitous than their low-profile suggests. Early single "From Rusholme with Love" has appeared on Hollywood soundtracks as diverse as
Get Carter and
Serendipity, their inspired reworking of the musical classic "Singin' in the Rain" was used for the brilliant
Gene Kelly-starring Volkswagen Golf GTI commercial, while their big-beat remix of
Terrorvision's "Tequila" turned the bog-standard hair metal original into a
Fatboy Slim-esque party anthem which missed the number one spot by a whisker in 1999. All three numbers appear on
Pop Is..., a comprehensive overview of the band's nine-year career, which cherry-picks the best material from their three studio albums, 1999's
On the Ropes, 2002's
Dancehall Places, and 2005's
See You in the Morning. From the chaotic brass-infused breakbeats of "Kenny's Last Dance" to the
Captain Beefheart-sampling, bluesy electronica of "Blue Song," to the industrial dance-rock of the New Order-esque "Wait for You," its 16 tracks only highlight how their lowly chart fortunes (none of their LPs have made the Top 100) are disproportionate to the high consistency of their eclectic output. But
Mint Royale's sound is best complemented when it's accompanied by an array of esteemed guest vocalists.
De La Soul's
P.O.S. lends his laid-back MC skills to "Show Me," an addictive blend of old-school hip-hop and African gospel melodies; the tongue-in-cheek "Sexiest Man in Jamaica" is a '70s string-soaked Latino house number which borrows the distinctive tones of ska legend
Prince Buster; while "Dancehall Places" is a surprisingly emotive acoustic folk ballad featuring Seattle indie singer/songwriter
Damien Jurado, which shows they're just as capable of producing
Zero 7-style chillout as they are the bombastic floor-fillers. Best of all is the gorgeous "Don't Falter," a collaboration with former
Kenickie singer and now TV presenter
Lauren Laverne, whose carefree, girlish vocals are the perfect match for the duo's sun-soaked, '60s-influenced production. An unashamedly bubblegum calypso-style interpretation of
Wham!'s pure pop classic, "Wham Rap," suggests that
Baker's departure hasn't affected their trademark cut-and-paste nature; their string-soaked remix of
Stone Roses' "Elephant Stone," and an early appearance from a then-unknown
Duffy on the orchestral cinematics of "The Effect on Me" provide a source of intrigue, while "Singin' in the Rain," which became an unexpected chart-topper thanks to Britain's Got Talent winner
George Sampson's dance routine, still sounds as gloriously ingenious as ever. The aural equivalent of a selection box,
Pop Is... is an unpredictable and chaotic hits package which could repeat the success of recent collections from their more celebrated counterparts.