New Lamb album "5" - but how are they doing?

And out danced lamb from our CD collections in 2004. And in they danced again in May 2011 - proving the last couple of years to be a bit of a trip-hop revival (or not, as many of the albums have proven)(and besides, with the economic climate at the moment, can you blame them?).
So here come Lamb with their album "5".

Ohhh, pulling the wool over their eyes, lamb, wool comes from sheep, it's a joke! I get it!

I'm going to admit it right now, I don't have the album yet, since I was only made aware of it about half an hour ago. Yes, I know what you're thinking; "Fucking bloggers, listen to the damn music first and THEN blog". Well, the review (if there is one) of the actual album will come later. But for now, I'm just writing about the background.


So back they come, with some revelations for me.
They reported themselves to be unhappy with the direction of albums after their debut, the ever-lush eponymous album. Commercialization and whatnot. I'm not 100% sure I felt it personally, since I thought the album "Fear of Fives" was pretty experimental, but apparently not enough for our heroic duo.


So this is, they report what should have been their second album. Whether they are right will be decided by yours truly at a later date.
But they sound great, from what I've seen, and seem incredibly enthusiastic. I quote Lou Rhodes (more on her later) with the following: 

"In late Summer 2010 Andy and I were talking on the phone; just catching up and chewing the fat. He was just preparing to release his debut LOWB album and i’d just completed a tour of Europe promoting my 3rd solo album. Andy was saying how he missed so much of what Lamb had been about and that he felt the time was right to make another Lamb album. When he said to me: “Lou, give me one good reason why we shouldn’t make another album” I  really couldn’t think of one. He was right, the time did feel right.

So after all this time we’ve been back in the studio and have written, recorded, mixed and released our new album ’5′. There’s something fresh and new about the album. It hasn’t been this way since we wrote and recorded the eponymous first album when we felt utterly unconcerned with what anyone felt about what we were doing. It was about the music and the journey it took us on. We always said we wouldn’t make another Lamb album until we had something new to say. That time has definitely come."

And it's showing. I'm just going to throw this picture out there.

Mmmmmmmmmm.

Now, I'm not shallow and this isn't a fashion/gossip blog. But they both look fantastic, especially compared to Portishead. Yes, I know that Beth Gibbons is older, but Lou Rhodes has had 2 kids, and that frankly makes her a MILF. And if he beefed up and wore some trendy gear Andy Barlow could be modelling for Abercrombie and Fitch's "Hollister" clothing line.

I've listened to the first track and a couple of others in part, and so far I'm optimistic for the album. I'm sure that I'll drop a word or two about it at some point - stay tuned.

Bows - Blush (1999)

Bows is for the most part a relatively unheard of trip-hop artist, and Blush is a truly deep cut of 90's trip-hop, appearing after its death, in 1999. I hadn't even heard of it until recently, in my search for trip-hop gems. But is this album a true gem?

Like much late 90's trip-hop (often labelled "Post-Trip-Hop"), it tries to escape the trip-hop label whilst profiting off the memory of the genre. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it is merely an observation.

The album starts with a luscious synthetic chord sequence in "big wings", a motif which is carried on throughout the album, and symbolises a certain euphoria which it pulls off nicely without becoming too roomy or hazy. And to cement its position as something urban, it proceeds to introduce a rolling hip-hop break. Complementing the synthesism of the chord sequence are horns, giving a full and natural sound. A strong album opener, if I've ever heard one.

And then it proceeds on to an interlude track, with crowd atmosphere and a shitload of bass, a certain "party next door" sound. Now, I do like this. It's a good interlude. It has a strong atmosphere. But the second track of an album, I believe, is there to complement the first. Preferably with a similar sound (for a poor example of this, see "tell her tonight" after "Jaqueline" on Franz Ferdinand's eponymous album). This shows a lack of direction, to be frank. And I feel that in other areas of the album.

The third track - the title track, "Blush" - is the first with male vocals. It utilises the motif, and hip-hop beats, much like the first track. However, this is nowhere near as strong. The singing is simply not strong enough for bass-beats. The voice is thin, much like Chris Corner's in Sneaker Pimps' later albums. And the orchestration (which is plentiful in the album) doesn't make up for the cringe-worthy singing that we have just witnessed.

But the album moves on, instantly throwing to another interlude song. I'm not criticising this choice, but so far there has been little material to the album. However, I will forgive Bows as the short song has some interesting  sounds. But anyway.

"King Deluxe" is another orchestrated song, which works well... but still feels like an interlude, despite its length of nearly 5 minutes. The female vocals wash together with string sections and a slow high-pass-filtered drum beat, feeling perfect for a Film4 advert. But this song consists of exactly 4 chords. The album has, so far, offered 2 real songs out of 5, and one of those has not particularly impressed me.
Now add another interlude, which is a comical advertisement for Bows. I'd like this if this were on a fully hip-hop album, where you can afford to be funny, or even if they had preceded the song with any glimpse of humour. But there it is, out of the blue. It doesn't fit. Sure, it has some jazz in the background, that's nice. It's not developed though. I hate to point out the obvious, but this screams "Lack of Direction".

So far I have sounded very negative about the album, which is unfair. I like it. But it often doesn't do itself any favours.
However, by the 7th track we hit another great song. "Britannica" joins orchestration with drum and bass in a very Lamb-like manner. I'm sure that it's directly influenced, their eponymous album being released 3 years prior to Blush. But they aren't trying to hide this. The song is a little lacking in true content, but works well on an atmospheric level - and that's what trip-hop's all about, right?

So Britannica passed without a problem. Then comes "Aquavella". Another interlude track. Yeah. With the motif. Nevertheless, this track feels natural after Britannica, and presents the motif in an under-watery sort of texture, so I'll let them have this.
This flows into "It'll be half time in England soon". This, much like King Deluxe, has little content. It feels like ANOTHER interlude.
I'm not asking for singles. I'm not asking for verse-chorus-verse. And I like the album. But looking at it objectively, what has the album given me? Texture and timbre, a blast of tune here and there, but not much else.

However, the next song "Girl's Lips Glitter" shows itself as a fantastic saviour in terms of "Song over Sound". Another drum 'n' bass driven track, with a tumbling, descending electric piano phrase. And this, along with an occasional orchestral flourish, is all the song needs.
The male vocals return in this song, and they work to a greater extent than before. I'll throw it out there, the lyrics are terrible. But I ignore this, instead focusing on the hypnotising "American Beauty" feeling it has going on. Seriously, they could plant this in the film and it would work perfectly. A certain understatement is in here, and whilst maintaining a fast beat it succeeds in chilling to the core - in the best way possible. Guitar harmonics sprinkle its path like stars, until the electric piano glides off into the darkness, setting the next track a difficult standard to beat.

And whilst "Sleepyhead" doesn't beat "Girl's Lips Glitter" it tries its hardest. It maintains the introspective aura, but slows down the rhythm. The song is guitar driven, but it is used in a minimalist manner, giving a dry feeling, which explodes into a luscious fusion in what could be described as a "chorus". The female vocals in the song are used sparingly (a rare feat in trip-hop, I admire the choice). This then flows into the next song, "Rockets".

And here ends the album. Rockets is a dedicated finished, using the motif once more, identically to Big Wings, for a cyclical climax. It's a success. It has grandeur. It makes the album feel finished.

But what was there to finish, exactly? The album had like... 4 real songs. Many of the interludes were of throw-away quality. There was a lack of direction.
But the album is a classic example of "Sounds over Songs". Because, to be fair, in terms of texture, tone and timbre, Bows was generous. And I suppose this is the reason why the album was not a commercial hit like Dummy or Becoming X. And whilst it had a lack of direction, it did (for the most-part) maintain a hypnotic atmosphere of introspection and euphoria; a truly late-night album, like many of my favourite albums are.

Also, the production is flawless (save the male vocals, which could have done with being mixed down). Every intended emotion is out there, naked and obvious. And nothing says this more than the opening track.
I have been negative about the individual songs on the album, because the album does not work in terms of songs. It only works as a whole, and in that sense it works well. It is driving-home-late music, it is pre-drinking music, it is poker music. But don't bother playing it to your Oasis-loving friends.

The album, to me, will by no means stand out as a trip-hop classic to me, or even one of my favourite. I would, however, describe it as a gem. It serves its purpose well, and so rare is it to find an album completely dedicated to mood. Unfortunately for Bows, in this sense it is drastically out-shined by Sofa Surfers, who create mood more efficiently, with more variation and stronger memorability. But Bows sits in its place as a trip-hop runner-up, and of this it should be proud.

Del Naja's Blog

Obviously, I really respect 3D as an artist, musically and in fine art. On the other hand, his blog is fantastically shit.
It is in the form of a "photo blog", which is fine in itself - an efficient medium. But... there must be quality control. For example, here is a good picture that I enjoy looking at in a photo blog:

Here is something that I do not enjoy looking at in a photo blog:

What the fuck is that? That's the sort of pseudo-artsy texture bullshit that you get when you give a camera to a 13 year old girl who listens to Linkin Park. I could see that if I went outside on a cold January morning. Waste of internet.

And this picture here:

Oh look, it's 3D, and he's playing the part of an armed robber! Nice that he's trying to relate to black ghetto culture, but the shoes aren't fooling anyone.

Also, he plugs the things he cares about too much. It's embarrassing. I mean, I understand that Massive Attack like to think they're nice and political and shit (a lot of bands do) and they've done some nice things, such as giving proceeds to charities,  but you need to put a limit on this sort of thing.

Supporting a Wikileaks campaign is a sensible thing for Massive Attack to do. It's up their street, liberal etc.. But saving trees? Really? Couldn't you skip that one and give us a teaser for a new EP, or maybe some original artwork? And I haven't even heard of this campaign, a protest against tax evasion. Who the fuck thought of that?! Everyone already hates tax dodging apart from tax dodgers. You don't need to make a campaign against it. Just report that shit to the authorities if you have knowledge, otherwise you can't do anything about it unless you're a regular Columbo and want to sniff around peoples filing cabinets whilst they're asleep.


So please 3D, sort your damn blog out, because I'd love to read it if it weren't so shit.

Tobacco - Fucked Up Friends (2008)

It's trippy, it's hip-hoppy, does this make Tobacco's "Fucked up Friends" trip-hop? Probably not.
But it IS the finest non-trip-hop psychedelic hip-hop album out there (that's a bit too niche a market to aim for, but he's selling records so is obviously doing something right).

The album is archetypical summer music. Whether you're driving with your windows down, or enjoying a refreshing hops-based alcoholic beverage in the sun, or smoking illegal substances (not an activity I like to partake in, but I know lots of people do, and I don't want to exclude them because I'm a nice guy) this album will capture (and enhance) your positive emotions.
So, what makes Tobacco special? Let's identify the elements.

1) Lo-Fi production - The use of analogue synthesisers and tape music is sweet and leads to some very thick sounds. The first track, "Street Trash" is a particularly strong example of this. The bass synth is covered in noise, making a fuzzy sound over low beats for a head-popping experience. It reminds us all of the variety of sounds that can't really be replicated by digital technologies.
Also, vocoders being used well. Not like the kiddies with their microKORGs and trendy rock bands and haircuts. No, not at all. As seen in "Dirt", the vocoder is used to enhance the psychedelic experience, rather than use as a spot-effect. Which is lame.

2) Hooks galore - This is not Animals as Leaders. I'm not expecting a technical experience using 12 different chords in 4 bars in a 13/8 time signature in Diminished Lydian mode in D. I'm expecting something cool and catchy, and Tobacco never fails to deliver this, with ever-so-hummable leads which will buzz around your head like a disabled fly in a glass box. The harmonies that Tobacco does offer are always used effectively.
At times I take a step back from the album and note that, in reality, the album actually offers very little in terms of musical phrases. In fact, since there are 16 tracks on the album, I'd say that there are probably about 16 different intrinsic musical phrases. But I suppose this adds to the hypnoticism of the album.

3) Feels good man (or inc.) - Since you have access to the internet, there are probably moments during your life when you feel unhappy, since the internet=sadness. But fear not, because this is cheerful as fuck. And danceable. If you want to feel gloomy and think of your ex-girlfriend whilst masturbating and crying (followed by a quick self-harm session), don't listen to this album. Go for "Third" by Portishead.

Actually, as part of a social experiment conducted and carried out by me, James Skelly, I have this task for you: Start your masturbating and crying session (whilst thinking about your ex), and whilst doing so play the song "Grease Wizard" on repeat. My hypothesis is that you will become too happy to continue. Please post your results, preferably with before and after pictures as scientific evidence.

Father Time strikes Portishead

So yeah, old news I know, but Portishead are going to be releasing a new album soon enough, as Geoff Barrow tells BBC 6 Music. But that's common knowledge, and yes, we are all very excited judging by the strange changes which have occurred in their charity release "Chase the Tear".
What I really wanted to point out was something else.

When the hell did they get so old?!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

What happened? Where did the time all go? Oh wait, it's been like... 13 years since NYC live. But still. I mean, she could be my mother. Easily. Adrian Utley looks like the sort of guy that goes to the pub with your dad, only to complain that it's too noisy and that the Guinness tastes like water. And you don't understand why your dad likes him. And then your uncle comes along and they all get really drunk and start making inappropriate comments and tell you that you can't handle your beer in slurred voices, despite that you are designated driver. And then it reaches 11:45 and they're all tired and one of them falls asleep.

But I digress.

What happened to the real Beth Gibbons?

I guess she died with the rest of the 90's. Obviously, the band has produced some fine music in the 21st century, but in reality, don't we want the friendly groove of economic growth, a labour government and Dummy?

On a largely unrelated note, the line-up for Portishead's All Tomorrow's Parties looks tasty. If only I had the money and desire to go.

Massive Attack - Blue Lines (1991)

How else can one start a blog without trip-hop without first writing about the album "Blue Lines" by Massive Attack? It remains, along with Portishead's "Dummy", the most prolific trip-hop album ever. Yes, and that includes Mezzanine.

So, to start: Massive Attack started as a sound system in Bristol called "The Wild Bunch". Now, there are a couple of things that hit me whilst looking at that sentence.

1) Bristol - When I think of Bristol, first I think of trip-hop. Then I think of the slave trade.
2) Sound System - When I think of "Sound Systems" (In this context) I think of Dancehall music and MCs and... not white people.

These two pieces of information are important to the album Blue Lines, and to Massive Attack as a whole. If we look at the members, we will notice that two of the 3 primary members at the time were black. So was frequent contributor Horace Andy. So here is a primarily black group, sitting in the slave capital of England in a scene which is largely of black culture.

Why did Blue Lines find the sound it did? Why didn't it turn out to be a hip-hop album? Because let's face it, it is a completely different entity to hip-hop at that time (for example Dr Dre's "The Chronic" was to be released the following year).
There are several likely reasons. This was not The Bronx. Hip-Hop was not as influential in the UK as the USA (our biggest hip-hop producer at that moment was Coldcuts). The influence was moreso reggae and dancehall music, joined with the dance scene of the late 80s and early 90s. Hip-hop, no doubt, was an element, but not necessarily the primary one.
And with this said, there was obviously more of a white influence on the music than in hip-hop - with Del Naja providing a creative force, and Cameron McVey producing, the album was not one which was racially confined, as early hip-hop was (Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" was hardly aiming to reach a white audience, was it?). As evident in the track "Unfinished Sympathy", Shara Nelson shows that the more accessible genre of soul was closer to Massive Attack's sound.

Indeed, the various of influences of trip-hop seem to have amalgamated in the legendary club "The Dugout", which Del Naja described as "probably the only place in Bristol where black and white people could hang out together, because of the music". DJs played funk, soul, hip-hop, electro and reggae there, a highly fertile soil for the genre that would germinate from it. We can look at the width of blue lines, and see "One Love" next to "Daydreaming", with a vast sea of difference between the two.

But by the by. Nobody wants to hear a history lesson, do they? So without further ado, here is a track by track breakdown of Blue Lines.

1. Safe from Harm - An establishing song and single. It still gets plenty of airtime, frequently used in adverts, etc.. To be frank, I consider it much more typical of Blue Lines than Unfinished Sympathy.
The first track on the first trip-hop album starts as you'd think. A rolling bassline with chilled beats and eerie keyboards, not to mention Shara Nelson's haunting (a cliché, I know, but a true one) vocals, and holding it together are the male vocals; not quite rapped, not quite spoken, not quite whispered.
The song is also notable and typical of trip-hop style as it is heavily sample based, taking nearly all of its key elements from Billy Cobham's song "stratus" - another indication of the varied influences which amalgamated in Blue Lines.

2. One Love - From the full sound of Safe from Harm, the tempo dips considerably into the sparse "One Love", dub influences at the ready, Horace Andy ready to fire, sir. Whilst this does show variety in the album, it does not represent Massive Attack's sound at all. However, it's still quite enjoyable, simply because of a few chilled samples and Horace Andy's crooning.

3. Blue Lines - My favourite from the album. The perfect title track, summing up the whole album. Lyrically - incredibly strong. Musically - chilled as fuck. And you are getting plenty of Massive Attack for your money, including Tricky (before he put his (oversized) experimental boots on).
Trick delivers the lines that sum up the whole album to me.

How we live in this existence, just being

English upbringing, background carribean

This says it all. Here, they firstly display the fusion between their black roots and British sensibilities, which influences the music they had chosen to make. Also, the line "How we live in this existence, just being" sums up Blue Lines perfectly. In Mezzanine, it would seem highly inappropriate, but Blue Lines was written by a group who fell into place - not aimed at making money (or even a real album as a real band), it represents these young people who made music because they enjoyed it.

4. Be Thankful For What You've Got - A William DeVaughan cover. This song works nicely, is chilled and shows soul roots. But it's just a cover.

5. Five Man Army - Another track where you're looking at a lot of Massive for your money. It also includes Daddy G's biggest vocal contribution to the album - a voice so deep that it nearly matches the groovy bass loop in frequency. This track seems to be a throwback to the soundsystem partying feel. It also contains the lyrics

This is the miracle of the dubplate dub selection

So whether you're black white or half-caste in your complexion

Yes pull out your phono plug and tuck you in your phony

It's started by marconi resumed by sony

A summary by wireless history and only

The massive attack enorme explosione

How accurate they are.

6. Unfinished Sympathy - This is not my favourite song on the album by any means, and I really don't want to go into the details of why. Just look on a list of the greatest songs of the 90's for more information (if you even need it, which I doubt since this is one of the most whored songs ever).

7. Daydreaming - Setting a precedent for the "uneasy" style of trip-hop that would follow, and a natural ancestor to much of mezzanine, such as Inertia Creeps. However, it's not actually that enjoyable. There's something about when Shara Nelson's cry of "I'm waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalking on air" which depresses me to the point of not being able to listen to the song, firstly because it sounds so desperate, and secondly because it reminds me of Home and Away. Which is a depressing thing to think of.

8. Lately - A lazy song, with a squelchy bassline which reminds me of very primitive bass sequencers. However, this plodding bassline makes the song incredibly catching, as does the falsetto chorus. And a sampled sweeping sound breezes through the song every couple of bars, which adds a bit of scenery. Essentially, the song does very well for itself, considering its simplicity.

9. Hymn of the Big Wheel - The album finisher, and a very strange choice in reality. Strangely, this was released as part of "Massive Attack EP", along with Be Thankful. Some sort of environmental anthem (I prefer The Postal Service's "Natural Anthem" to be honest) emerges here. Unfortunately, it's not particularly well produced, which detracts massively from the grandeur that I suppose it wanted. In fact, my favourite part of the production is the bass drum which is bowel-moving. I suppose that in all, it is quite an inspiring song, but it would have been nice to hear a song which was closer to the Massive Attack sound to finish this piece of Trip-hop history. But hey, you can't have everything.

So, that is Blue Lines. Enjoy listening.

A license to Chill

Hello reader.
I'm James Skelly, a downtempo enthusiast and trip-hop artist. It's getting towards summertime, and for me that incurs excessive amounts of chillout music - primarily trip-hop.

This blog is more for my own development than for the benefit of any readers that may appear magically. I used to actively search for and listen to lots of trip-hop, but at some point I lost the motivation for keeping an eye out for new (and old but unknown to me) artists. So I hope that this will inspire me to re-immerse myself in the genre.

So, thanks for reading. I intend to start reviewing trip-hop albums, some old and some new (some borrowed, and definitely some blue (lines (are the reason why the temple has to shatter))).