Green Day
American Idiot (Reprise)
The eagerly anticipated album from the band that brought American punk to the British youth a decade ago is here.
So can they finally match or even better that monumental album "dookie"? No, is the short answer...
Maybe I'm setting my expectations a little too high though. Albums like that just can't be matched. Dookie may well remain my first choice washing up sing-along album of all time.
American Idiot is, however, a good album and still has the depression inspired bounce running through it that typifies Green Day. It is scattered with some really good songs. Track 4 "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is a particular favourite and the story telling in "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Homecoming" works really well to make two great tracks.
This is nothing new, but if you like Green Day then add this one to your collection. I'm sure you'll learn to love it.
| Tim Evans |
Fatboy Slim
Palookaville (Skint)
Towards the middle and end of the 1990's Fatboy Slim revolutionised dance music in this country. A string of big and bouncy releases from him hit prominence with The Rockerfeller Skank and culminated in the mainstream overtaking beast of a genre that was big beat.
Better Living Through Chemistry and You've Come A Long Way Baby were both landmark albums at this time, but the fire was quelled somewhat by the more sombre millenium release of Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars.
This follow-up album opens with the typically sixties loop of Don't Let The Man Get You Down. It's the usual chilled out affair from Cooke, with a seemingly neverending sample surrounded by a wall of beats. This is followed on by the simply irritating first single Slash Dot Dash (almost a parody of a Fatboy song) and then by the more likeable Long Way From Home (known to many as the song from the 02 advert).
Put It Back Together with Damon Albarn is possibly the best track on the album. It's the Blur frontman at his soulful best, eager to collaborate after the success of the two tracks Cooke produced for their Think Tank album.
Elsewhere, there's lots of samples, a few other collaborations, lot's of scratching and lot's of disappointment. A couple of singles may appear and shift units, but Fatboy no longer seems to have the disco crowds eating out his hand. I bet he can still rock Brighton beach tho...
| Roger Mean |
Client
City (Mute)
It's a sad state of affairs for a band when it becomes obvious that given the same lyrics, Dido could have done a much better job. There's a load of nonsense going about that this Casio keyboard electropap represents the seedy underbelly of pop music. The band has even been compared to a female Kraftwerk, God forbid. Let's leave lazy parallels out of this. It's not dark, lush or anything else that the hype proclaims it. In fact it sounds like it's been produced in a tin room, there's so much dead air about.
For all of Client's combined musical experience (and there is a lot of it), the repetitive beats and embarrassing lyrics on City ("It's rock and roll, it's in my soul" and " We can be lovers, we can just be friends" for two prime examples) are really disappointing. I realise this is probably part of a grand plan to turn pop on its head, but it just doesn't work. A good idea, badly done. Back to the drawing board.
| Claire Foss |
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