French art-rock duo Les Rita Mitsouko have always been fans of the outlandish and unconventional: the parade of fashion mistakes in their website photo gallery bears witness to three decades of oddness. But when you've already followed every path that cabaret-tinged, angular post-punk has to offer, what's left? Banal soft-rock, of course. Their seventh album is a throwback to the mainstream sounds they skirted in the 1980s. Songs come shrouded in dry ice; synth melodies sway like lighters in the air, beside middle-eights that show no fear of the saxophone solo. Just one track, Terminal Beauty, with seething vocals from System of a Down's Serj Tankian, hints of the duo's twisted roots. In Britain, Variety is being released in an English-language version; franchement, understanding the lyrics won't make it any more palatable.