HIP HO
P GOLDIE LOOKIN’ CHAIN
Safe as Fuck (AIIallIICI O.
For many people, Goldie Lookin’ Chain seem to have come as a personal insult, a slap in hip hop’s face. It’s hard to say just what angered them so much, aside from the band’s hearty appreciation for the silly side of life. Debut album Greatest Hits was hardly mould-breaking, but had some great tunes and some thoroughly engaging rhymes. More than that, with its fierce sense of local identity and its preoccupation with rude words, trash culture and smoking pot, it seemed not so much to be pissing on rap’s noble traditions as holding them high.
Twelve months on, the Chain are back. Their preoccupations have not changed: Safe as Fuck is a collection of stoner wit, laddish banter and TV- driven nostalgia. ‘HRT’ even presents the same dilemma as ‘Soapbar‘ (cheap hash or mind-bending grass?) from the perspective of a man so addled by marijuana he is becoming a woman.
Elsewhere, the samples are horribly predictable. ‘Charmschool’ samples the Grange Hill theme; ‘Paranoia’ sets its tale of groundless fear over ‘Walking in the Air’. It’s hard not to conclude that GLC are a little low on inspiration: despite the vast ensemble cast Safe as Fuck sounds like too few ideas spread too thin. Perhaps the group have rushed themselves a little. Perhaps, as their detractors claim, they are a one trick band. There are bright spots here - notably the neat ballad pastiche of ‘R&B' and the bounding funk of ‘Bad Boy Limp’ - but the overall impression is of a group stuck in a rut.
(James Smart)
ROCK
JOHN PARISH Once Upon a
Little Time
(Thrill Jockey) 0000.
Evoking the combination of epic and intimate is apparently why Parish chose the title for his latest long player. a fitting description of his relaxed but cinematic- style music which veers from drowsy ballad to upbeat — but nevertheless dark —
Loud
oCleor
numbers. The Iachrymose grandeur of Tindersticks and the beguiling all.country of American Music Club are two recurring reference points. as. inevitably, is longtime Parish collaborator PJ Harvey. who is thanked in the sleevenotes. She once described him as ‘more of a god than a man', an opinion I find myself siding With increasingly with every listen of this sublime record.
(Emma Newlands)
ROCK
SIMPLE MINDS Black & White 050505 (Sanctuary) 0..
Their publicity material suggests that this is Simple Minds' best record since global smash Once Upon a
Time. In fact. it often harks back to an earlier era. when textured atmospherics were considered more important than b()unding hooks.
Album standout and first single 'Home' comes with a propulsive bassline and glittering gUitars. although the lyrics (‘God gave me one last chance. gave me one last reprieve/ Jah gave me hunger, gave me the air to breathe'). delivered in Jim Kerr's portent-heavy murmur, illustrate that
pomposny is still on the agenda. As With much of their recent material. there's a fair bit of lush mid-tempo tosh on display. but this is an entertaining stab at the band's glory years. (James Smart)
NU SPIRITUAL KING BRITT Sister Gertrude Morgan (Ropeadope) me.
in; Cm it on ,_.
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Providing a contemporary SOLindtracking for an a cappella work does not sound like the most demanding of prOjects to have undertaken for celebrated Philly producer King Britt. but the deftness of touch and respect for the original art in this instance have shaped a genuine treasure.
More than Moby's celebrated accompaniment of Vera Hall on Play. the sermonic songs of Sister Gertrude maintain their powerful Vision and meaning thanks to the bluesy. deep SOuthern feel applied to much of Britt's reinterpretations. A trance induCing meld of contemporary beats and ambient electronica With traditional musiCianship. the upshot is a negro spiritual for the 21 st century and an album of unparalleled presence of soul. (Mark Edmundsoni
INDIE DEUS
Pocket Revolution (V 2 ) O...
After a six»year hiatus and a hefty line-up change. the coolest Belgians in the world are back With this fourth studio album and it's simply fantastic. Opener ‘Bad Timing' is a blistering seven-minute statement of intent. the band's trademark loot)ing gtiitar and synth lines slowly building to an apocalyptic ending.
SINGLES 8: DOWNLOADS
Viagra be praised! Bon Jovi have decided to be rock pigs again. Well, kind of. ‘Have a Nice Day'
(Island) «0 has Jon shouting out what appears to be a hoarse plea for courtesy in the (ace of extreme provocation, while Richie Sambora sketches out a riff that could actually get some heads nodding.
It’s hard to maintain your manners. th0ugh. in front of satanic easy listening waif Katie Melua. whose forthcoming album is apparently ‘blues- based'. If single “Nine Million Bicycles‘ (Dramatico) O , a horrifically tasteful pan-pipe spotted lovers lament, is any guide. it will be ‘blues-based' only in the sense that Sunny Delight is fruit-based.
Pop-punk girl group Love Bites may soon be as ubiquitous and as irritating as Melua. We'll give debut 'You Broke My Heart' (Island) on — which slips neatly between Shampoo and Busted — the benefit of the doubt. But let's be honest: they were never going to take the girls-with- guitars medal from American alt.rock legends SIeater-Kinney. ‘Jumpers' (Sub Pop) on. is the sound of a trio still on the up after seven albums. its desperate. abrasive body concealing dainty dancing feet and some rather splendid 8- sides.
In that light. Franz Ferdinand's ‘Do You Want To' (Domino) m comes as a mild disappointment. It may have a lovely hook that will no doubt have the kids pogoing from Sutton to San Diego. but if Franz are going for the pop jugular their tunes are going to need more choruses.
Fellow Scot Malcolm Middleton‘s current record /n The Woods is picking up praise across the board. and the morose merriment of 'Break my Heart' (Chemical Underground) ecu shows a man in danger of overshadowing Arab Strap.
If you want something with a little more bounce. The Juan Maclean (there's just one of him) might be the next Daft Punk. “Give Me Every Little Thing“ (DFA’EMI) coco . a gleeful slice of electro disco with a thigh-slapping bassline and an army of chirps and beeps. is as 803 as the Karate Kid. and likely to produce just as many interesting moves.
Commercial rap colossus 50 Cent generally seems poisoned by a stone age sensibility, but ‘Outta Control’ (Shady) me . an infectious piece of G-funk. has Fiddy on surprisingly mellow form. thanks largely to a smiley piano sample. You shouldn't praise a man who already thinks he's God‘s gift, but Kanye West probably doesn't read The List so here goes: ‘Gold Digger' (Roe-a- Fella) 00000 is a fabulous dancefloor gem. Its high point is a fabulous. old school vocal recorded by Jamie Foxx. but every beat and every perfectly plucked sample make this Single of the Fortnight. (James Smart)
ALL CDS WERE REVIEWED ON A SYSTEM SUPPUED AND INSTALLED BY LOUD 8: CLEAR
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64 THE LIST 8- 2? Sep 2005)