Album Review Competition

Good hi-fi is nothing without good music, and with this in mind I'd like to start a competition thread for writing reviews of your favourite new music discoveries. Submit your reviews here, and each month Rob or I will select a winner, who receives a month subscription to Spotify Premium care of AudioSmile.

To set the mood, I have asked my good friend Howard to write a review on his chosen album.

 

Fun Lovin' Criminals - Classic Fantastic

>>Spotify Link<<



Whether it be popping up on film soundtracks, hosting radio programmes or even cameos in TV's Skins, Huey Morgan and the Fun Lovin' Criminals are never far from the spot light and yet suitably modest to not be house hold names. Thusly, the band's first album since re-locating to England is unsuprisingly modest in it's publicity and yet sure to be a cult hit with the fans as ever. However, as any music industry boffin will tell you, most records sell by the popularity of previous work once the adverts are out, and so it has to be asked whether the relocation and drummer change will leave the band destined to eventually alienate or fail to satisfy it's loyal fans.

With this in mind, track 1 "Mars" is a brave move. The album starts a lick of the fun that we would expect from the Fun Lovin' Criminals and yet not necessarily their traditional sound. The techno sound of the track can only be described as a mixture of techno and tongue in cheak sci-fi with synths bouncing around filling up the majority of the sound including the bass. The more familiar followers of FLC knowing that the band's bassist rarely actually plays bass in favour of other instruments while a background track fills this role in their live performances.

With the catchy other-worldly sounds of the opening track setting a weird but funky opening image, the title track and opening single "Classic Fantastic" is just around the corner to instill a reminder of traditional FLC magic. The funky trumpet and flute layden backing loops are woven perfectly in a traditional FLC hip-hop verse and chanted chorus form. The song unfortunately doesn't ring with the amount of memorability of a classic single, but as a part of the album it's homely and warm sounding with a lovely balance between the backings and the light electric guitar twiddling.

Unfortunately the lead single feels slightly wedged in at track 2 to promote itself and as we hit track 3 and the tempo bounces back up it feels that it would have fitted better straight after "Mars". "The Originals" is more in common with tracks like "Is Ya Alright" from the previous album "Living In The City" in having a hard edge and a biting rocky sound that is almost straight from an action movie soundtrack. In a way, the first 3 tracks tick a lot of the boxes in covering variation in the sound which makes "She Sings At The Sun" an unexpected continuation in the far from flowing nature of the album. A smooth summer sounding track relying on some soulful latin piano and guitar looping in the background, the track is another winner, but too late to win your ears around from the previous song.

"Keep On Yellin'" holds the chilled mood with a soft and Gorillaz-esk style jammed feel and the chilled rap delivery of Roots Manuva. Although this is more of a lyrical jam than a musical masterpiece, it finally confirms a mood that is atmospheric and involving and gives the CD a chance to make it's own mark in the FLC collection. The next track, "Jimi Choo", despite its high speed, is actually delivered in a way that further confirms this sound. The song makes it's mark in the CD by being fast flowing and yet having a soft and slow rap delivery over the top and a very controlled and light playing style on the instruments; a sort of chilled speed. As the album now feels ready to play around a bit, "El Malo" drops next. The lyrical delivery is not too different from Jimi Choo, but now the music drops it's urgency. We return to the extremely chilled, to the point of being sleepy, sound that filled up many early FLC albums between the big hitting singles.

"The Conversation" is nothing more than a comical skit. A series of answerphone messages from an Italian American directed at both the audience and the band. Too keep it from gaining the boredom that most skits gain after the joke has become old, the skit is played over a nice up beat Italian folk style jam with some pacey intricate drumming and a smooth accordion melody. This sets the mood perfectly for one of the albums true highlights "We, The Three". Bouncing in with a 70s trumpet intro so Starsky & Hutch it's almost parody. The track then lays in to wah wah guitars, funky bass, solid drums and the sound that FLC does best. The track jumps in to action with Huey rapping one of his most catchy verses before a genuinely catchy hook that would make anyone but the coldest souls wanna get up and dance. But a real treat comes from the band's other two members, Franky and Fast delivering rap verses of their own. This doesn't feel shoe horned at all, their raps are individual, fun and once again incredibly catchy. The song itself doesn't pull too many tricks and sticks to the basic FLC formula despite it's lyrical design, but executes the formula perfectly to result in one of the band's most genuinely enjoyable songs to date, and is a real fighter for a position as a single.

"How Low" pulls a similar trick to "Mars" with an off-beat disco sound and funny vocal catches in the hook. The song confirms the CD's smooth movement towards a more upbeat feel in it's later half since settling in after the first few tracks. The production is quite cheesy relying on a mixture of typical FLC trumpets and wah wahs but mixes it all with the disco sound more effectively than "Mars" making it almost feel like the album is maturing as it goes, and at a fast moving 2:37 it's not long until you're delivered to one of the album's other highlights. "Mister Sun", the album's second single, starts with an obvious bit of sampling for the hook and despite being more chilled out, stays up-beat and fun. The infectious nature of the song and the fun flow make it an interesting single that stays in the head and doesn't grate too quickly, even after a few listens.

The CD winds down with "Rewind", the penultimate track. The song is incredibly chilled rolling by with a blues sound, crying electric guitars and a walking bass that holds it all together as it well should. The simple jazz club nature paints an image of a smokey jazz club moving towards closing time and works beautifully towards the end of the album. The four minute running time seems to just melt away before "Get Your Coat" closes the show. The song starts with light sounds but a more minor scale writing style. What is perhaps unexpected is the arrival of a down beat but incredibly catching hook. As the song gets under way in the first verse, it's all chilled and bluesy as with "Rewind" but moving with the pace and hip-hop style of earlier songs on the CD. This is perhaps one of the most complete sounding and well layered pieces on the album and is a perfect cap on the CD wrapping things off on a low key and yet high quality note. The last few notes of any album are important in helping to round off the "after taste" of the work, and in this case it just fades in to a beautifully harmonic break down before disappearing away as light as a feather.

All in all, the album fits in to a familiar design for most albums these days. At the front end there is a lot of effort in trying to impress quickly with hyperactive variation and hard hitting songs before settling in to a flow that winds it's way towards the end. In this example, everything from the 4th track, "She Sings At The Sun", onwards, works as a well flowing album with direction and atmosphere. So much so in fact that you find yourself wishing that the first three had been better woven in to the tapestry to create the truly perfect start to finish listening experience that it's hard to deny was on offer here and so narrowly missed.

The atmosphere of the album is the usual slightly cheesy FLC sound but with a feeling that the band has once again maintained, or maybe even improved, it's ability to stretch both ways. Tracks like "Mars" and "How Low" show an ability for silly disco madness and a freedom with sound where as tracks like "Get Your Coat", "We, The Three" and "Jimi Choo" show an awareness for picking and layering sounds perfectly in to an affective tapestry that embodies the Fun Lovin' Criminals cross over style perfectly.

Production and mix wise this is a sharp piece of work. The all important bass in an album like this, punches through smooth and clear without leaving the album lacking in the sparkly sounds that give it a relaxing and atmospheric twinkle. It can't be denied that this is a CD engineered with the mood of the music very much in mind.

So, in the final analysis, what is Classic Fantastic? Does it develop the band's sound? Honestly, no it doesn't. It's few attempts at such make for comical treats rather than true movements towards a newer sound. What Classic Fantastic does achieve is a slight roll back to the band's earlier sound but with a new found maturity and aptness of studio engineering. The flow is comfortable for the best part and the songs sound like they weren't forced out so much as produced over a cool calm evening or two in the studio. This might be the reason why the album doesn't really produce any clear "single" material, but I would suggest that the band's movement to London has left them in a more relaxed place where they are doing what they want to with less pressure. Even their series of bizarre Youtube webisodes from around the time support this new found DIY approach to having fun with their product. Though the album does start by grabbing hard for the listener's approval, the end taste is of something truly satisfying. A work that is what you would want from the Criminals, not too over written and forced, but lovingly and soulful engineered in to existence by a group of truly characterful individuals.

If you're an old school FLC fan then jump on this one with no delay as the latest take on the band you love. If you're new to the band then listen to the album, soak it up, and if you like it then you're ready to buy more from the catalogue.

If I was a scoring person this would be getting around an 8 out of 10. Complete, atmospheric, purposeful and yet full of soul.

 

The skit's lively Italian folk-style jam with upbeat drumming and accordion sets the perfect mood for the album highlight, "We, The Three." Featuring a 70s Starsky & Hutch-style trumpet intro, the track seamlessly blends wah-wah guitars, funky bass, and solid drums. Huey's catchy rap verse leads into an irresistibly danceable hook, complemented by Franky and Fast's individual and fun rap verses. While sticking to the familiar FLC formula, the song stands out as one of their most genuinely enjoyable tracks, making a strong case for a single.