Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D

Rating:

* * * *

Verdict:

Tasty and tangy, the BEPs embrace a new era of bubblegum pop

It took people a bit of time to wrap their heads around the Black Eyed Peas' first single from

The E.N.D

,

Boom Boom Pow.

It wasn't the Peas of previous records - full of big hooks, gentle harmonies and cheeky freestyles. Instead, it fuses synthesised basslines, robotic vocals and tinny drum machines to create a collection of instantly accessible electro pop.

It's a sign of the times and the new era of pop music we find ourselves in. The rise of electro-dance mavens Lady Gaga and Ladyhawke brought the style to mainstream playlists, and now everyone is getting in on the act. Even Kanye ditched his frenzied freestyles in favour of the frosty detachment of the vocoder.

As Fergie sings on

Boom Boom Pow

: "I'm so 2008, you're so 2000-and-late."

Well actually, it's 2009 and this is the new bubblegum pop. It's tasty and tangy - but you'll probably be sick of it after a few chews.

The Peas seem to have factored this into the record, offering a mammoth 16 tracks, clocking in at one hour and 10 minutes. It's as if they expect you to skip a few as you grow tired of them.

Speculation has been rife that this record will be the Peas' last, but the band categorically deny any such happening. Indeed, the album title is a paradox - the anagram stands for

The Energy Never Dies

.

And it doesn't. Despite the record's excessive length, the band maintain the pace and interest throughout the album, without repeating themselves. An impressive feat, given the limitations of making music with a drum machine and synthesiser.

The Peas return to their roots on the African-inspired

One Tribe

- full of hand claps and harmonies - which draw instant comparisons with

Where Is the Love?

But for the most part, this is a party record of fat basslines and oonst-oonst top lines.

I Gotta Feeling

is sure to wreak havoc on a dancefloor near you soon, with the infectious singalong chorus: "Tonight's the night, let's live it up/I got my money, let's spend it up/ Go out and smash it, like Oh My God/ Jump off that sofa, let's get get off."

Likewise, the strange electro ballad

Party All the Time

will be taking over the airwaves soon with its curious tribal chorus and squelchy mish-mash of rhythms. It's not the first time the Peas have reinvented themselves and, like the addition of Fergie Ferg in 2003, this experiment looks set to cement the band's fortunes.

Joanna Hunkin