Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

Paul Oakenfold

Starry Eyed Surprise

Label: Perfecto Release Date: 19/08/2002

2182
athomas by Andy (quirk) Thomas August 17th, 2002

Bored of playing with his cross fader Paul Oakenfold decides he can do this dance pop crossover thing all the kids seem so keen on at the moment. The result is a laid back summery affair based on a hypnotic sample looped continuously, sharing the same kind of vibes as Mint Royale's 'Don't Falter'. There are two things, however, that take a wrecking ball to this delicate construction though.

Firstly the lyrics are dire, especially in the chorus, "oh my starry eyed surprise, sun down to sun rise, dance all night, we're going to dance all night, dance all night to this DJ";, thousands of sweaty kids getting down in an Ibizan sweat pit has never been painted as a romantic vision before with good reason, it's hedonistic yes, but not romantic. Mind you by the end we're "seeing stars";, so maybe the situation is more believable after a neckload of E.

The biggest issue however is the vocals. Summer songs for clubbing demand Sophie Ellis Bextor, Kylie, Lauren Laverne, or at a push, Posh Spice. They do not call for a multi-tattoed pseudo punk from one hit wonders Crazy Town. Delivering piss weak emotion through ham fisted rapping turns something that should have been quite pleasant to something altogether more irritating than it should be.

Shame.

  • 4
    Andy (quirk) Thomas's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees



Left-arrow

Labrat

Ruining It For Everyone

Mobback
2180

The Vines at Camden Electric Ballroom, Camden, Thu 19 Feb

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    Interview


    Ace of Bass: DiS Meets Royal Blood

  • 97097
  • feature


    DiS meets At the Drive-In

  • 12223

    feature


    A Month in Records: August 2008

  • 33467
  • feature


    Nicky Wire on the press, Shirley Bassey, and th...

  • 50002

    Discography Reassessed


    Oeuvre Here: An 18 Album Voyage Through Ringo S...

  • 100438
  • Interview


    Life, Death and Broken Bells - DiS meets James ...

  • 82768

    In Depth


    Fade to black: DiS meets The Horrors

  • 48012
  • feature


    Radiohead's In Rainbows: the fans' verdict

  • 27997
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND