SidetrackedRenaissance ***

No surprises that tracks from Japan, Tears for Fears, Heaven 17 and Blancmange show up on this Elly Jackson-curated mixtape. After all, the act known as La Roux enjoyed a fine innings in 2009 thanks to her appreciation for and expertly- carried-off- approximation of classic snyth-pop. Sidetrackedprovides some possible clues and probable cul-de-sacs to La Roux's second album. Her cover of Under My Thumband a pre-Underworld memory from Freur are interesting curios, while the presence of Joyce Sims, Fever Ray, Paul Haig and

I Blame Coco indicate an open- minded approach to pop's past and present. Just to keep everyone guessing about her future intentions, Jackson closes her set with Gerry Rafferty's Right Down the Line. A soft-rock second album? Stranger things have happened. See laroux.co.uk

Download tracks:Fever Ray, When I Grow Up; Paul Haig, Big Blue World