The Prodigy Their Law - The Singles 1990-2005

The Prodigy Their Law - The Singles 1990-2005

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Even more so than the celebrated Chemical Brothers -- who began recording after Prodigy but received a hits compilation before -- Liam Howlett and co. were fantastic singles artists who also fashioned excellent full-lengths. As such, Their Law 1990-2005, the singles collection that could put the cap on their career, is a collection that will leave listeners breathless but also one that can't capture how special Prodigy were to the electronica and rave scenes. Their biggest single, "Firestarter," comes first, and its LP (The Fat of the Land) gets most of the early slots, although things right themselves by the end with no less than five singles -- all of them incredible -- from 1995's Music for the Jilted Generation and four from 1992's Experience. Although including three tracks from 2004's desultory Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned may help fans hear, for the first time, the best of a bad album, it's nearly criminal that it comes at the expense of solid material from Music for the Jilted Generation and Experience (like "Break & Enter" and "Wind It Up"). Although there are no new tracks (perhaps a good thing), included is an Audio Bullys remix of "Out of Space."

 

Mega City Four Magic Bullets

Mega City Four Magic Bullets

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Though not as strong as that previous stylistic breakthrough, this LP nevertheless continues the terrific thread of its predecessor in material, sound, and words. Still a mix of sweet-sounding pop with sneak-attack post-punk guitar power (best compared to Paul Westerberg's scope and knack for an angry hook), the prolific Mega City Four know a song when they've finished arranging yet another one, and leader Wiz's writing shows no sign of wear and tear even as he's begun to plumb similar themes and characteristics LP to LP. Just as "Ticket Collector" started things off with a bang last time around, "Perfect Circle" jump-starts this one off, then it goes through the bends, peaks, and unpredictable swerves all over again. "Iron Sky" is a lacerating, fresh pop gem -- the obvious choice for the single. "Drown" pulses low and hard. The glorious "Enemy Skies" recalls the whomp and whack of Who Cares Wins' "Me Not You." "Speck" ends things on a somber and quiet note, much as "Stupid Way to Die" ended the debut, Tranzophobia four years previously. This kind of range, added to Wiz's keen, imploring voice and (still) prescient lyrics, has made them into a pop institution in England, where they've enjoyed a few Top 40 singles. Yet on every album they go back to their roots as a scruffy, poppy, rockin' punk group (best documented on the singles LP Terribly Sorry Bob), and on these outings they still can batter one happy, as they simultaneously wield vicious melodies that stick to you like a dog in a thunderstorm. Here it's "Rainman," a song so fast, slick, and smacking it almost seems rote until its punches land solidly on the second or third play. Likewise, "Greener" is another gleeful torcher. Hot stuff. Again, if not as amazing a collection as the previous LP, this is still another special LP from a band America should have known better than to ignore. Get the import or lose out.

Beth Orton Pass In Time (The Definitive Collection)

Beth Orton Pass In Time (The Definitive Collection)

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BMG UK gathered nearly all of Beth Orton's brightest moments for Pass in Time: The Definitive Collection. This double-disc set does a decent job presenting Orton's undeniable gift as an artist, and those who are introduced to her for the first time here will be thoroughly impressed. Those longtime fans who already own her first three albums and the Best Bit EP might be puzzled at Pass in Time's unfashionably early arrival; however, the 24-song compilation merits the same consideration given to Orton's previous work. The second disc of B-sides, rarities, and remixes is more than enough to warrant attention, for the ten-song selection includes her stunning collaborations with the Chemical Brothers ("Where Do I Begin"), Terry Callier ("Dolphins"), and William Orbit ("Water from a Vine Leaf"). The original B-side to "She Cries Your Name," "It's Not the Spotlight" was exclusively reworked for Pass in Time, but the biggest surprise lies in the inclusion of two tracks from her Superpinkymandy album. With a little nudge from Orbit, Orton first introduced herself with this experimental-dance effort, which was only available in Japan and is now out of print. The glittering electronic twist of John Martyn's "Don't Wanna Know 'Bout Evil" and the gentle humming of "Where Do You Go?" give a glimpse of Orton's pre-commercial solo days. Pass in Time is a worthwhile collection,

Dot Allison We Are Science

Dot Allison We Are Science

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Feeling that she had perfected dreamy swirling pop with Afterglow, Dot Allison edges toward electro dance territory and beyond on her sophomore album, We Are Science, and the results are nothing short of brilliant. Working the production boards herself, with some help from Two Lone Swordsmen's Keith Tenniswood, and contributors Mercury Rev and Death in Vegas, Allison looks back to Factory Records, Kraftwerk, and house music for inspiration. Alternately lush and lo-fi, the album seeks the trance-y dirges of Afterglow, but adds huge pockets of exhilarating grooves, weird throbbing beats, analog synthesizers, sweeping strings, and echoing, twinkling pianos. What's truly remarkable is that Allison is able to touch upon so many influences and skirt so many genres, but there's not a single element that feels out of place. It's not just expert sequencing that holds the album together; it's Allison's fearless experimentation, genius sense of melody, urgent lyrics, and commanding vocals that make for such a winning opus. The retro touches of "Make It Happen," "Strung Out," and "I Think I Love You" honor influences from Wire to New Order to the Human League to Depeche Mode, but Allison makes the sound her own again and again. "Strung Out" sounds like Curve produced by Martin Hannett. When things turn cinematic on "Performance" and "Wishing Stone," Allison proves herself a master of atmosphere. Poetic, melodic, and pulsing with enormous amounts of energy, the album sees Allison virtually creating new genres in the process of exploring her own musical heroes. We Are Science sees Dot Allison going beyond even the highs of One Dove and crafting an accessible, evocative masterpiece that consistently surprises and thrills

 

Gene Olympian

Gene Olympian

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 In hindsight, it’s easy to see why Gene stood out amongst all the other British guitar bands that emerged in the mid 90’s, but it would also be a lie to claim that they had nothing to do with Britpop. Some who dismiss the genre as homogenised and derivative forget that as a whole the scene consisted of a variety of groups with their own individual styles. After all “Britpop” is an abbreviation of British Pop, a term that hardly narrows things down. Gene may have had their own sound but they arrived when Britpop did, and were one of the groups who were able to break through to a wider audience thanks to indie guitar music being very popular at the time. Now, two decades have passed since the band’s rise into the public eye, and over it’s been over ten years since they split amicably, bowing out with dignity. Bringing together their entire output and some rarities, five deluxe edition reissues of each Gene album offer an ideal opportunity for listeners to delve deeper into the back catalogue of this hugely underrated band. Attitude and style-wise, they had very little in common with the likes of Oasis, and never considered themselves to be part of the Britpop movement. However, there’s no denying that Gene’s music reflects the positivity and hopefulness of the era, and their success may not have happened in a different musical climate. 1995 was the perfect time for the debut LP ‘Olympian’ to arrive. There’s no denying that to my ears, the confident swing of ‘Haunted By You’ evokes the excitement of the early Britpop period perfectly. The much mentioned Smiths influence is present in the exquisite strut of the infectious opener which still brings to the spine when frontman MartinRossiter‘s voice goes up a key on the final chorus. ‘Your Love, It Lies’ is one of many examples of their gift for fusing classy romantic verses with raw, passionate choruses, and is followed wonderfully by the magnificent Motown/Jam-flavoured ‘Truth, Rest Your Head’, hitting on true magic when another one of those splendid choruses arrive. The remastered sound on the infectious ‘A Car That Sped’ lends its rhythm section some extra punch, giving a fantastic album track more clarity soundwise. Afterwards, the jagged guitars of ‘Left Handed’ highlight the band’s new wave influences on a moment that kicks into the most urgent pace here. The astonishing ‘London, Can You Wait’ only has one chorus, but it has the power of a hundred. A classy, heartfelt ballad delivered and sung brilliantly, it’s one of the era’s most underrated treasures and proves that their album tracks could sometimes hold even more magic than the hit singles. ‘To The City’ has a darker, more abrasive character in contrast to the blissful ‘Still Can’t Find The Phone’, a jangly guitar- toe-tapper with the occasional Elvis impression thrown in. Powered by classy guitar chords and another belting chorus, the mighty ‘Sleep Well Tonight’ is set against a lyrical backdrop of drunken nightlife, and trouble that “comes from the pubs and the clubs”. The magnificent title track is epic yet humble, delicate yet powerful. Another commanding vocal from Rossiter adds even more sparkle to an effortlessly spellbinding melody, which eventually rises into a sensational singalong coda that could happily last for hours. It’s the sort of thing that assured them a place in musical history right from the early days, even if that rightful place is overlooked by many and acknowledged by an educated minority. Finishing the album in elegant style is the charming ‘We’ll Find Our Own Way’, a moment of heartwarming sincerity which proves rather than the bands that inspired their sound, it’s Gene’s own character that defines ‘Olympian’. The LP hit number 9 in the album chart and established the London quartet as one of the country’s most exciting bands of the mid 90’s. As brilliant as it is, it could have been even better if they included the much loved debut single ‘For The Dead’ on the album, so it’s very handy that it features here as a bonus track straight after the main songs. Combining breezy, upbeat melodies with despairing lyrics, it’s an essential Gene moment and one of the all-time great debut singles. But where are all the other non album tracks and b sides from the period? Well, this is where a couple of these reissues throw up some paradoxes. Gene released four studio albums, but the amount of b sides, session tracks and live recordings take up more than five extra CDs, so they certainly wouldn’t have had room if they just reissued each album with a bonus disc. Which means that the 1996 b sides and rarities compilation ‘To See The Lights’ is also given its own deluxe edition alongside the studio LPs. It also means that because the early b sides are on there, they don’t feature on the ‘Olympian’ reissue like they should have done. It is odd to buy a deluxe edition of an album and not get any of the b sides. Maybe Edsel Records are aiming these reissues at people who want to buy the whole collection, and if that is the case then featuring identical tracks on two albums would have been a bit pointless. Still would have been nice to hear the non-album songs all together rather than spread out and interrupted by live versions, session tracks and covers like they are on ‘To See The Lights’. So instead of the b sides, if you fork out on the deluxe ‘Olympian’, you get ‘For The Dead’, a single edit of the title number, and four cuts from a couple of BBC sessions broadcast in 1994 and 1995. On the bonus disc are two gigs from ’95 that both consist of ten songs. It might be fair to say that if you just intend on buying the deluxe version of the debut, you may be better off getting a standard ‘Olympian’ and a standard ‘To See The Lights’ instead. You won’t get the b sides otherwise. But for hardcore fans of the group and completists, the live recordings will delight.

The Weather Prophets Mayflower

The Weather Prophets Mayflower

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Peter Astor's previous band, the Loft, was a Creation Records labelmate of Felt and sounded like it, but with the Weather Prophets he smoothed the edges to create a more commercial, if somewhat generic, guitar pop style that lives on through groups such as Brideshead and Northern Portrait. Mayflower doesn't have an abundance of individual character, but the songs and performances are excellent, even though the album didn't achieve it's hoped-for mainstream success. "Almost Prayed," from the group's first single, and new songs such as "Can't Keep My Mind Off You" and "She Comes from the Rain" are full of hooky, jangly goodness.

The Jasmine Minks Cut Me Deep The Anthology 1984-2014

The Jasmine Minks Cut Me Deep The Anthology 1984-2014

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The Jasmine Minks weren't one of Creation's better-known bands, certainly not one of the groups one would associate with the label on first thought. That being said, they crafted one of the label's earliest pop triumphs with the 1984 single "Think!" and released three excellent albums and numerous great singles between 1984 and 1989 that helped define the label's early sound. Jangling, heartfelt, and with Byrds influences on their sleeve, the group melded skittering rhythms with insistent melodies on their earliest singles, then settled into a calmer, more thoughtful approach as they progressed. The highlight of this era is the magical "Cut Me Deep," which is the kind of mature pop the Go-Betweens patented. This fine collection rounds up early singles, EPs, and album tracks made for Creation, in addition to sampling a comeback album made in 2001 for Alan McGee's Poptones label. It also grabs a track from a one-off single made in 2002 for the Bus Stop label and adds a newly recorded song, "Christine," that re-forms the original lineup of the band for the first time since 1986. A more casual fan would be wise to seek out the one-disc Revenge Of... collection, but anyone who wants to dive deep into the Jasmine Minks' catalog will be well served by Cut Me Deep.

Frazier Chorus Sue

Frazier Chorus Sue 

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Frazier Chorus aren't what they seem. On Sue, the band's debut album, the group utilizes synthesizers, trumpets, flutes, and clarinets to paint evocative mental images. Most often the music and Tim Freeman's soft, heavily accented vocals paint postcards of England in the summertime. But Frazier Chorus' coyness is deceptive, as the sarcastic wit and sometimes nasty observations of Freeman are often buried underneath the LP's sunny surface. In the otherwise genial "Dream Kitchen," for example, Freeman confesses, "Your life is too good to be true/I think I'll ruin it for you." Usually hailed by fans of '80s electro-pop, Frazier Chorus are refreshingly different from many of their contemporaries, namely due to Freeman's talk-singing style and the incorporation of classical instruments. They have a jazzy side as well, best heard in "Forty Winks." The band could be viewed as forerunners of Pulp, but Pulp already existed -- albeit they were completely obscure -- when Sue was released in the late '80s. Nevertheless, "Sloppy Heart" has graphic yet poetic lyrics about premature ejaculation that would fit perfectly in Pulp's '90s discography. With its beautifully soaring flutes, it's easy to just listen to "Sloppy Heart" and be carried away, completely oblivious to Freeman's erotic story line. However, deciphering Freeman's words is a large part of the fun. Sue may be too subtle for some; the tracks are usually slow and quiet, but they grow on you, especially the breathtaking "Storm." "Dream Kitchen" and "Typical" landed on a few new wave radio stations in the late '80s, but it's the lesser-known songs such as "Sloppy Heart" and "Living Room" where Frazier Chorus create long-term appeal. [The 2008 edition included bonus tracks.]