THE SOUNDTRACK TO THE REVOLUTION
| HOME | ABOUT US |
|---|
SONIC REVIEWS... |
OOOO |
|---|
Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited (EMI) 2005
OK, so this is hardly a new album, but it has been digitally buffed up and some bonus live tracks chucked in for good measure. For our younger readers… the 101ers were a London based R ’n B/pub rock outfit fronted by the one and only Joe Strummer, prior to his forming the Clash. It is hard now to imagine a world without punk, but in the early 70’s with bloated stadium rock choking the music scene on dry ice, R ’n B was one of the few ways to get a dose of high octane rock and roll close up. Not only did you not need binoculars to see the stage, the chances are you could have had a pint with the band before the gig. Hot on the heels of Doctor Feelgood, the 101ers blitzed the bars of London perfecting their trade in no frills blues and rock ‘n roll for two years, but before they could fulfil their potential Joe caught the Pistols live… the rest is history. They never got around to releasing an album, but Elgin Avenue breakdown was released several years after the demise of the band and eagerly snapped up by Clash fans. Here we have everything the band ever recorded, plus a few dodgy previously unreleased live tracks just for historical completeness. Although raw in places, this stands up well on its own and in places compares with some of Strummers post-Clash solo work. We aint gonna get any more from the man, so this is well worth getting hold of.
Essential Fatty Acids (Omega) 2007
It’s always nice when you come across something that is hard to pigeonhole and this little number is definitely a defiant little bugger. Part rock, part dance, part pop, part soul, part funk, but all quality. Formed from the ashes of Dark Chunk, this classy outfit have not been around long, only forming in 2006, but are already getting people sitting up and paying attention. The sweet soulful vocals of Suzi make this stand out to be more than just a lad’s party album, giving it a radio friendly layer but without sounding commercial. ‘Dig It’ gives us some of the funkiest bass lines ever to come out of Cardiff, with some nice wah wah and fuzzbox layered over the top resulting in a vibe that would shake any self respecting club. ‘Celebrity Burn Out’ turns on the acid jazz machine and transports us to the other side of the Atlantic, although the lyrics would make the likes of Paris Hilton blush. ‘Stop Funkin Me Around’ dips its toe in some rock pools demonstrating that if they wanted to they could turn their hands at something heavier; as it is though they are doing quite nicely ploughing a furrow that no one else in town is following at the moment. Definitely more indoor smart dress and cocktails than outdoor glow sticks and poppers, but something tells us if they wanted to, they could pump it up with the tribe.
Bicycles and Triangles (Cooking Vinyl) 2004
13 years, and 4 line-ups into the Orb Project, this, the 11th album by Alex Paterson ‘and friends’. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, combining the powerful Floydian dubs of ‘UFOrb’, obscure sci-fi B movie samples, the out and out weirdness of the early ‘Ultraworld’ excursions, hints of break beat and trip hop to bring it up to date, a hint of Tangerine Dream and some full on ‘proper’ dub. On the whole there are some well decent tracks but the whole thing just does not ‘flow’ for us, sticking tracks that are coming from a different angle next each other resulting in an album that is not really appropriate for any one time or place. One minute you’re skanking, then chilling, then having to think about the more psychedelic aspects. On balance though, a worthwhile addition to the collection.
Alcoholic Drinks (Afro Art Records 12” VINYL ONLY) 2007
We don’t often go to the effort of reviewing singles, but we came across this the other day and it immediately jumped out and grabbed us by the scruff of the neck and had us bopping around the room. It’s a sort of jazzy soulful break-beat hip hop thing with an infectious toe tapping beat and a catchy rap laid over the top that is guaranteed to get the coolest parties bouncing. As you can guess from the title there are lots of drinking references in the lyrics, but this is cool in a way that Chumbawumba’s Tubthumping and Underworld’s Born Slippy could only dream about.
It comes in Whiskey and Vodka flavour, with the vodka bringing a hint of drum and bass to the table.
With tens of thousands of tracks in the vaults of the Iguana, if pushed there are very few where we could tell you where and when we first heard them, but this one was a definite sonic JFK moment for us.
This little unit are spread out to say the least, featuring three guys from Brighton, Italy and Australia but distance has not proved to be a barrier to them mixing wicked chilled cocktails together. If you don’t wanna take our word for how good it is, this 12” vinyl only release is on Afro Art Records.. and they don’t mess with any old nonsense. In fact, don’t take anybody’s word, get ya years around it at their MySpace, then get it in to rock ya next party.
The legendary Paul Murphy has given this 12” a couple of tweaks and spiked it up a bit, but if you check their Myspace, you will find that these guys have depth and a flavour for all occasions, we will be making an effort to get as much as we can through duty free in the months to come.
Swirly Termination (Snapper)
This was originally recorded in 1998, but shelved by the bands then record label, Snapper. It contains a studio version of Spiced Out (here called Spaced Out) and a reworking of the anthem Kick Muck (here called Kick 98), incredibly managing to improve on the already awesome track. It’s beyond us why this was shelved, because it is well up to standard, floating in and out this dimension returning with cosmic dust from planets made from hard rock, ambient trance and full on dub. Now that the Ozrics have left the label Snapper are cashing in by releasing it now, which sort of makes you think “Bastards..Im not giving them my money!”. It has to be said though, if you don’t buy it you will be missing out on something a bit special.
