AURORA is a London-based collective centring around the song writing/ arranging talents of Simon Greenaway (keyboards), guitarist Sacha Collison and 18-year old vocalist Lizzie Pattinson.
They’re probably already circling the outskirts of your mind as they recently released their cover of DURAN DURAN’s "Ordinary World" (also featuring Naimee Coleman), which nestles proudly as track three here. For what it’s worth, it easily equals the functional, radio-friendly groove of the original.
But therein lies the rub, as "Aurora", the parent album too often fails to transcend its’ influences and falls short in presenting something likely to stick its’ head and shoulders above the daytime FM car radio mulch.
Which isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with it as such. Indeed, the expansive arrangements barely put a foot wrong throughout and it’s a warm, bright sensurround they peddle, with Pattinson’s breathy vocals exuding the confidence of a diva ten years her senior on songs like "The Day It Rained Forever."
And "Aurora" does have its’ moments, especially "Your Mistakes", with its’ distant piano chords, vaguely trip-hoppy GOLDFRAPP feel coming across as slow, smoky and seductively windswept and the lengthy "To Die For" basks in a rich, orchestral sauce and demonstrates just how potently special Pattinson could be if allowed to cut loose.
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Unfortunately, though, too much of the album drowns in its’ own high-gloss sheen. Songs like the new single "Dreaming", "In Your Skin" and, frankly, most of the remainder – apart from "Hushaby" which manfully attempts to re-heat "Your Mistakes" – sound like pre-ordained radio hits and will probably be bothering the charts as you read this, but they’re just interchangeable, and all the big keyboard flourishes and production whoomph in the kingdom can’t disguise the fact that most of the songs bathe in a river of mediocrity.
"Aurora", then, is a perfectly pleasant listen and will probably swing the commercial lead. However, they’ll have to serve up tastier morsels than these freeze-dried supermarket shelf-fillers if they want people to take their brand name to heart for years to come.
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