The Brighton Port Authority — I Think We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat

The Brighton Port Authority are Fatboy Slim's Norman Cook and a bunch of guest vocalists that he's recorded with in recent years — though certainly not dating back to the '70s, like the myth he's promoting about this debut album suggests.

I Think We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat opens with a cover of The Monochrome Set's "He's Frank (Slight Return)," which features a deadpan Iggy Pop delivering denial-filled lyrics over sunny-sounding music. "Toe Jam" seems simultaneously retro and modern with David Byrne on lead vocals and Dizzee Rascal lending a rap to the bridge. You can't help but move to the song, and the cheeky video was named the best of 2008 by iTunes U.K.

The very danceable "Should I Stay Or Should I Blow" features vocalist Ashley Beedle and a cheerful mix of ska, Latin and bubblegum pop styles. "Seattle," with Emmy The Great, is a kind of trip-hop number with a lot of pop thrown in. Martha Wainwright doing reggae? Yep, on "Spade." The Olly Hite-fronted "So It Goes" has the chorus adapted from Rockpile's terrific track of the same name.

If this disc only included these six songs, it would almost no doubt be my EP of the year. Unfortunately, there are six other tracks, and this is where the haphazardness of the recording process shows up.

Pete York's voice is annoying on "Dirty Sheets," and the other singers don't impress much more on their respective numbers. The early tunes I heard last year from I Think We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat made it my most anticipated album of 2009. But the throwaway nature of half of the disc makes me believe you should download the best tracks instead of the entire LP.

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