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Recording information: West Orange Studios, Preston, Lancashire. Arranger: Tjinder Singh. Following up Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast in exceedingly timely fashion -- a mere two years compared to the seven that separated that 2009 effort from 2002's Handcream for a Generation -- Cornershop capitalize on their Indian tradition, bringing in Bubbley Kaur for a collection of pop with a Punjabi punch. The vocals and flourishes are strongly Punjabi -- songs are often sung in the language, not English as they usually are on a Cornershop LP -- but these are essentially trappings for a collection of multicultural dance-pop not too dissimilar from the group's albums since 1997. As on Judy Sucks, this is a blessing and a curse: Cornershop's blends are still rich and flavorful yet they have the whiff of old fashion, still tied heavily to the post-rave years of trip-hop and Brit-pop, trends they fought and embraced in equal measure. Kaur's presence gives The Double-O Groove just enough of a different tone to make a difference -- it doesn't feel comfortably recycled as Judy sometimes did -- yet it doesn't quite open doors to new avenues either. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
