Schizopop
In seven seconds or less, I was thrown on a curveball by St. Albans band The Vertigos. I heard electronic sweeps and nothing that would suggest that the following three and a half minutes of single 'Rubix' would be more Arctic Monkeys than Armin Van Buuren.
They're three years old as a band and there is definitely a certain chemistry between them as they stumble between synths and indie in an almost schizophrenic way, and that's the downside. They revert back to that electronic McGuffin later and by straddling the genres, they hit neither, with not enough of an edge for authentic indie and electronically, it's lacking the hallmarks of one of those crossover tracks. Think Crystal Method as a group that leans towards dance, but you can still rock out to it. This is a bit middling and doesn't quench your thirst for either genre.
When they go the other way, like on B-Side 'Saint,' concentrating on indie, it works far better and I would go as far as to argue that perhaps this should have been the track to introduce them to us. It's less frenetic and has a more considered indie appeal to it, almost Doves-esque. Save the electronica as a party trick to be brought out occasionally and there might be a decent band here.
There's nothing I like more than an outfit that go about things the right way and The Vertigos, from looking at their past seem to fit that description, which makes it even more galling that I can't give this as high a mark as I really want to. I wanted to be positive about this but it's too bipolar to be loved.