The Just Joans / The Smittens - Split

When two things come together the end result can be something enhanced, with what already seemed perfect suddenly appearing even better. Think Them Crooked Vultures; the culmination of Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and Jon Paul Jones utilising all their years of expertise and musical prowess to create one effortlessly brilliant supergroup.

And then there are the others. Much like when Walkers’ Crisps brought out Chicken Tikka Masala flavour crisps - the end result is something of a huge disappointment. Not only are both individually, at best, marginally enjoyable, but when forced into an unnatural proverbial blender; the taste is bitter in every sense.

The Smittens and The Just Joans fall into the latter category. On ‘Split’ each band sings one of their own tracks, as well as covering one of the other’s in the hope that this Live Lounge style of production will inspire a new lease of life and an exciting new version. Instead, The Smittens’ cutesy Scottish Alphabeat inspired ‘ba- lit’ is lacking in anything actually endearing or fun and their seda-ba’s’ and high-pitched High School Musical happiness stirs feelings of nausea.

The Just Joan’s version of ‘Gin & Platonic’ sits better when devoid of the female vocal, but the overall feeling, as with all tracks, is that the self-indulgent joining of two groups of band buddies has overshadowed the actual compatibility or talent of combination.