The success of films like Napoleon Dynamite and Superbad seems to have proclaimed a nerd revival. Wacky purveyors of geek chic, Norway’s Datarock are even more new rave than the Mercury Prize-winning The Klaxons (based upon whom the phrase was coined). Self-described as “the peak of pop revolution”, theirs is a celebration of retro entertainment culture and a finely tuned laugh-o-meter is essential. According to frontman Fredrik Savoea (in a video interview featured on their Myspace site) Datarock started when the pair, “…fell in love. [Ket-Ill] became pregnant and gave birth to a small Casio watch. As our love grew the Casio watch grew to become a Casio keyboard and that’s how we became Datarock.” Just about says it all really!

Matching burgundy tracksuits and vintage Porsche sunglasses are synonymous with Datarock’s information rock: Casiotone bleeps with an ever-present capacity to rock out. Their debut longplayer Datarock Datarock is littered with ‘80s idolatry: opening track Bulldozer decrees, “BMX is better than sex”; Princess kicks off with a barked-out reference – “Close encounter of the third kind”; and Laurie is an ode to Laurie Anderson. Also rammed full of tributes to their preferred era is Computer Camp Love, which reached Number 12 in Triple J’s Hottest 100 of 2005. A stroke of pure genius, the track employs the question/answer technique of Summer Nights from Grease. Dark, simple keys and a lazy beat rest beneath a relentless inquisition, “Tell me more did she put up a fight? Why, does she have a penis?” Putting his rhyming dictionary to good use, Savoea manages to pull off (sorry!) using this word, following the question with poetic precision: “Seen as supremus/You better know she’s a genus and a venus.”

Discovering gold so early into one’s career is a tough act to follow but Fa-Fa-Fa comes close with its wah-wah guitar and a chorus that borrows cheekily from David Byrne’s vox in Psycho Killer by Talking Heads. Datarock’s influences are customised rather then reproduced and the opening strains of Princess call to mind The Cure’s Lovecats. Savoea’s vocals are versatile and he channels Tony Hadley circa To Cut A Long Story Short on I Will Always Remember You (featuring fellow Norwegian Annie ). This duet features a dreamy “Da-Da-Da” vocal intro from Annie that could accompany visuals from a Cecil Beaton movie: a string of synchronised bathing beauties forming kaleidoscopic patterns in a pool. The velvety crooning of Savoea suggests he’s traded his trakkies in for a smoking jacket.

The bonus disc included in this special tour edition (the boys are recent visitors to our shores) further demonstrates Datarock’s danceability. It comprises their See What I Care EP plus bonus remixes: two each for Fa-Fa-Fa and I Used To Dance With My Daddy. Material from the See What I Care EP seems to shift the balance away from data toward rock. Kicking off with Not Me, guitar riffage reaches epileptic pace and the drum kit gets a good walloping. A nod to the band’s inclusion in the new rave genre is supplied: New Rave Anthem. This one goes off. Sparse bass bleeps that gradually speed up to pogo-ing proportions and an industrial feel are punctuated by interspersed robotic commands to “Do it!” answered by an eager “OK!”

The Shakes remix of Fa-Fa-Fa continues the rave theme with an opening that sounds like a computerised chainsaw being cranked. Cowbells, whistles (that come off sounding like crickets), a thorough use of Savoea’s vocals and plenty of breakdowns for added interest would make this a welcome addition to any dancefloor experience. The infectious wah-wah guitar of the original is lifted to the fore in the Riton Turbo Disco remix and pulsating bass calls to mind the disco anthem I Feel Love by Donna Summer. A sound like the speakers are about to blow up is mildly irritating and vocals take a backseat in this version.

Our own Mark Dynamix and Jaytech has a crack at remixing I Used To Dance With My Daddy with the Sugar Daddy-O Remix. Savoea’s vocals sound like they’ve been put through a vocoder in this one, a phone rings to cause mass reaching for mobiles until a lady answers, “Hello?” Dirty, cranking devastation has been injected into instrumentation and this leaves Para One’s effort quivering in its wake. Para One seems to have taken the line “Although it’s a slow-mo” literally and saps all energy from the original to produce a slumbering non-event.

Datarock unquestionably rock, and the bonus disc includes enough goodness to justify this purchase. Their synth-tastic revelry and playful ethos will have you continuously reaching for the ‘Yay!’ button. Those fortunate enough to have witnessed Datarock’s monster set at the 2006 Meredith Music Festival are sure to have fond memories of swaying and singing along to I Had The Time Of My Life from the soundtrack to iconic ‘80s movie Dirty Dancing. No one puts Datarock in the corner!