The Japanese Popstars - Gary Curran, Declan 'Decky Hedrock' McLaughlin and Gareth Donoghue - may have been together for just four years, but they've carved out a reputation to rival the biggest names in dance music as a must-see live act and purveyor of raucous, foot-stomping, ener-getic electronic dance music. In the two years since their debut album 'We Just Are' dropped on Gung-Ho!, they've toured The States, Australia, Europe and, of course Japan. But it's 'Controlling Your Allegiance', the first fruits of a new deal with Virgin, that's the real leap forward, not least because they've used vocalists for the first time. And not just any old session singers either. First single, 'Destroy', featured an idiosyncratic and eerily compelling vocal from Jon Spencer (of Blues Explosion fame) set atop a squelching, brooding slab of nu-electro that climaxes in an unholy riot of angry synths. Decky from the Japstars had the idea of enlisting The Cure's Robert Smith for one of the rough edits. Robert loved what he heard and agreed to work with the boys. The result is 'Take Forever', which, with its chiming guitar riff, low-slung bass and feint air of melancholia is the sound of The Cure had they been born in 2011. Other names to get the special Japanese Popstars treatment include Mercury Prize-nominated Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan on the uplifting, melodic house of 'Song For Lisa' and Chicago house legend Green Velvet. The album also features vocals from The Editors' Tom Smith and Biffy Clyro's Simon Neal. As one message from an American fan on Twitter points out, there's some irony to their name as they are neither Japanese nor popstars. Well, they'll never be the former. But popstars? On the evidence of 'Controlling Your Allegiance', you wouldn't want to bet against that now.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Let Go
2. Catapult
3. Song For Lisa
4. Tomorrow Man
5. Take Forever
6. Fight The Night
7. Our Building Block
8. Destroy
9. Shells Of Silver
10. Without Sound
11. Falcon Punch
12. Joshua