Come Find Yourself - Fun Lovin' Criminals

Track list:

1. The Fun Lovin’ Criminal
2. Passive/Aggressive
3. The Grave and the Constant
4. Scooby Snacks
5. Smoke ’em
6. Bombin’ the L
7. I Can’t Get With That
8. King Of New York
9. We Have All the Time in the World
10. Bear Hug
11. Come Find Yourself
12. Crime and Punishment
13. Methadonia
14. I Can't Get With That (Schmoove Version)
15. Coney Island Girl

Running time: 44 minutes
Released: 2002

I'm going to love this... No, probably not. Another one of those "massive at the time" albums, and one that I doubt has aged well. I find myself without much in the way of words to form an intro so lets dive right in.

The twanginess of the opening riff is suprisingly fresh at 21. The vocal doesn't match it. Is that a Pulp reference in the lyrics? Can't be, can it? I'm stumped if not, what else would Disco 2000 refer to? Anyhow that's an oddity that I had never noticed before. I just rather wish that the delivery was a little more distinctive, because actually the rhythms and hook work.

In a funny way I think this may not be that different from Come Away With Me, in that it will end up as a mood piece more than anything. Songs that aren't necessarily all that, but which come together to set a consistent tone. I am already (less than 2 tracks in) surprised by how accurately I remembered the tunes, and how easily they slip back into my consciousness. Maybe it will hold up better than I expected (or perhaps it is front-loaded).

It vaguely amuses me that FLC frontman Huey Morgan is now a BBC DJ... how did that happen? I still don't listen to the radio (TMS aside; best thing evar!) so I've never heard one of his shows but he seems a particularly unlikely pick for the role, even amongst American front men.

Aw crap. I forgot to switch off shuffle after having some background music yesterday while I was mocking up a Crew for Blades in the Dark - an awesome-sounding RPG about heists in a fantasy-industrial age setting. It's nice and evocative, harking to series such as the Locke Lamora books by Scott Lynch, and videogames like Dishonoured. I kinda want to run it, but I don't really have enough surplus mental energy to do it well when I am working. It's a pain. I find this out as the third track had me thinking "that sounds a lot like the title track, how lazy" only to find that it was. I don't know what that second tune was then... It wasn't Passive/Aggressive as I have just cued that up.

Oh, it was track 3. Skip!

Scooby Snacks is the stereotypical Fun Lovin' Criminals track in my mind. The audio clips from Tarantino movies (he gets a composition credit in my track metadata) give it some real character, but it doesn't ever feel like a serious song - because the title, which appears prominently in the chorus, is so ridiculous. It ends rather suddenly, too... it is easy to forget that these were designed to be radio-friendly singles, because with so much of what I buy that is simply not a primary concern.

It really is a surprise how many of these tunes are lodged in my subconscious to one degree or another... 7 of the first 9 and the title track, for a 60% hit rate when you factor in the second version of I Can't Get With That in the bonus tracks.

Today is a light one in the context of the week off. My final day of vacation and - a big shop this morning aside - one where I am not doing anything productive. I am seeing family though, so it's not "time to myself" relaxation or time lost to games of one sort or another. Tomorrow is clearing out my back room (not a euphemism!) and Sunday involves ironing and cleaning the oven. Joy. Still, if I stick to the plan and achieve those things it will have been a very successful week in all. Then back to the grind. Speaking of grind... whilst I like the smooth and lazy tone of I Can't Get With That, I find it grating on me. I am not in a wind-down mood right now and so this kind of bliss-out, hang about sound is not what the doctor ordered.

There is a nice rounded sound to the guitars on the cover of We Have All the Time in the World, but not for the first time the vocal lets it down. It's always going to be hard to live up to Louis Armstrong through. I don't actually have the Armstrong version, but I do have a take by film score expert David Arnold and Iggy Pop. When this overly laid back song gives way to Bear Hug its a bit of a switch in tone. Darker, hoarsely-voiced, edgier. The change is welcome, but I'm not sure that the song is any good. The group seems better when they're doing their laid back stoner chic; these tracks are tighter, sit together better. As the title track starts for the second time (I didn't run it to completion before, so no skip here) I am struck by the understated guitars. The percussion and rhythm sets the tone, but the background guitars are what make it work.

It strikes me that whilst this is never something I would choose to put on if I weren't directed to it, I wouldn't want to part with most of these tracks because they hold up surprisingly well. There are some exceptions - Bear Hug didn't work, and Crime and Punishment sounds to be going the same way. However the general level of appeal has surprised me.

Methodonia is one of those tracks that is very recognisible once it is playing - it sounds like you've heard it a thousand times before - but is completely unrecognisible by title. It also sounds like countless other songs that you cannot place (or at least I cannot place). There is a comfortable familiarity about it. I am only referring to the composition here, not the lyrics; they're less comfortable and familiar.

Then we're into the bonuses... an even more laid back version of I Can't Get With That (not sure how this is possible) and a 90 second closer. The Schmoove (their spelling, not mine) Version uses horns to craft that smokey late night atmosphere, and the vocal is spoken like a beat-poet. It has more cool about it, and despite not really being in the mood for laziness, I find I prefer it and find no reason to maintain the main album version as well. There is a nice little blast on the end - a bit more urgency - but outside the context of a lazy long-player before it I don't think I would ever want to hear Coney Island Girl again.

So, there we have it. Through a 4th listen in as many days. Good use of vacation time. Surprisingly happy with this one... just a small amount of fat to trim.

Becoming X - Sneaker Pimps

Track list:

1. Low Place Like Home
2. Tesko Suicide
3. 6 Underground
4. Becoming X
5. Spin Spin Sugar
6. Post-Modern Sleaze
7. Waterbaby
8. Roll On
9. Wasted Early Sunday Morning
10. Walking Zero
11. How Do

Running time: 46 minutes
Released: 1996

Going back 20 years again now. I remember when 6 Underground and Spin Spin Sugar were released as singles and not liking either. We change with time I guess, because I got into them later. This album, although it is the one with the songs everyone remembers, is probably the weakest of the three I have (Splinter and Bloodsport are the others). A grubby overtone to this permeates the later efforts, too, but here there the female vocal dilutes it a little compared with Chris Corner's later on. And to be clear I think that grubbiness is welcome here.

It starts right on the money with Low Place Like Home where the loop sets the tone with a ramshackle edge to it, the percussion sounding almost improvised, dulled. The choruses, when they come, inject an edgy guitar and the effect is atmospheric. It is background music, really - better experienced as the soundtrack to some other activity as the loops and hooks lull you into a head nod that feels like it should be in a dark and murky club. This sets the tone for the whole album really - on edge somewhat, seedy, rhythmic.

Friday night and I am doing this; too old now for the "going out" - not that I was ever much of one for that. Relevance? Well I never really hear music like this in the context it was created for - but that's fine; it has a life outside of that context. 6 Underground is a little more melodic, with a softer backing. The loops are there but there are more expansive themes there - an effect of space outside the walls created by the hook. I don't really know why I didn't like this originally... there's nothing to dislike. It is not a masterwork though, actually hearing it back now it sounds a little bland, a bit too radio friendly. The song lacks the grit and grime and it removes the most effective ingredient from the composition. This makes it accessible and pleasant - inoffensive.

Not that the dirtier, darker tracks are offensive at all, but its that slightly seedy atmosphere that makes this music tick, drawing you in and wrapping its tendrils around you. There is an urgency, a desperation, to Spin Spin Sugar. This song stands out from the others to date for that... it is the first time where the vocal really sets off the track behind it and sparks a synergy, the sort of seductive mix that sparks a purchase. I think the tracks generally stand up OK, even when it goes more expansive and away from the inglorious undertones that make the biggest impact.

Waterbaby starts to drift a bit - it has the right tone, but the more ethereal vocal and simple instrumentation over the loops are a bit too empty to have much punch and my attention wavers. Suffice to say that Mastermind is not very interesting on mute! My attention strays further with Roll On - I have a problem with songs like this that use adult imagery (IYKWIMAITYD) in lyrics in that I find it impossible to take seriously and dismiss the entire composition as a bit of a joke as a result. Its a shame because actually here the lyrics actually work with the theme of the album, encapsulating that seediness I keep banging on about, but to be honest the track then loses me totally in its outro as it builds a bigger sound which is a little bit of a mess.

Into the climb-down now and I have to admit that I cannot bring Walking Zero to mind at all before it starts. Every other tune here I have had some kind of aural imprint confirmed (or dismissed) by the play, but that one I am staring at blankly as the singer whitters on about Sunday morning drop outs. This album really is the poor relation to its follow-ups - less of a complete end-to-end album than Splinter (which I would flag as my favourite), and not as many stand out tracks as Bloodsport, which may have the best songs. Actually, the holding up is more marginal after the second half - which suffers from coming after the apogee and not doing well in direct comparison. Fair to say that drifting away is quite commonplace over these last few tracks.

How Do is an interesting closer, though. It ditches all the dirt, climbs up and takes flight - a much more melodic, floaty song. It could have come from an entirely different record but it stands out and works for that reason. There is a nice build and the rise and fall of the melody work really well with the lighter touch in the singing to create an open soundscape. To the point where the electronic loops and hooks that were making the atmosphere earlier on in the album are really out of place here, and actually detract. I don't ever recall being so overwhelmed by them before to the point of them spoiling the song for me but this time, perhaps as I am actually paying attention, they are just a little distracting.

So what to do then? Part of me wants to strip these right back and keep just the highlights - part of me says keep the whole lot because whilst I tuned out a little in the middle there it has always been a tone I come back to this for not the specific tracks. On balance, I don't need chaff, and I have the tone elsewhere so time to wield the scythe.

Beautiful Freak - Eels

Track list:

1. Novocaine for the Soul
2. Susan's House
3. Rags to Rags
4. Beautiful Freak
5. Not Ready Yet
6. My Beloved Monster
7. Flower
8. Guest List
9. Mental
10. Spunky
11. Your Lucky Day in Hell
12. Manchild

Running time: 43 minutes
Released: 1996

Going back a bit now... hard to imagine that this is almost 20 years old and harks back to when I first started to buy music in any volume. I had two of the singles from this album after hearing them on the radio and then got the album eventually. I did not, however, buy any more from Eels so they were never really a favourite. I have fond memories for some of these songs, but no clue about many more.

We start with Novocaine for the Soul, which was a single here but not one of the two I picked up. For me this song was a bit of a grower, not one that I was taken with from the off. I like the mix of the dark and the ornamental - a contrast of style and substance that characterises a few of my favourite songs, as well as ones like this that I just rather like. Its the expansiveness of the arrangement that gives the open effect, but the darkness of the lyrics and tight confines of the verses that set you up for the majesty. That is a theme that carries on with Susan's House - which was the first single I bought. Verse tense, spoken, dark. Chorus plinky - and very dated - but much more melodic and relatable.

The conversational tone of the narrative is engaging in a voyeuristic kind of way. It's a little like watching something like The Wire and getting a view into a world that is nothing like the one I know. I listen to these now, two decades on, and I wonder why I never picked up more Eels records... and even as I do, and enjoy this one, I do not feel compelled to get more.

Interesting; the songs overlap here. The start point of Rags to Rags is before the backing of Susan's House has completely faded. I know that was more common back then, but I had not noticed it before. I cannot say I really recognise this tune but it definitely carries on the common theme. The chorus and bridge are still more expansive, the verses confined and tight. There is less melody here, just more darkness - but in a decent way, not gratuitous or unwelcome. I am at the end of a week off, just Sunday to go. I have achieved less than I would have liked but have at least managed to get the shelves battened and caused a lot of little red casualty symbols to appear in Blood Bowl. Yeah, the latter is not an achievement really but it speaks to how I have wanted to be spending my time - mindlessly punching digital opponents into oblivion. I do not really feel any better for it, but I suspect I am in a slightly better place for the switching off. Still have a bit to do tomorrow, not least finding time to watch England (hopefully) play well in Dublin. The Six Nations is a dream for getting through these late winter weekends.

Not Ready Yet is more familiar by sound than by name but once it starts is very recognisible; this and the title track that preceded it are more in the same vein: dark and slightly grubby with moments of tenderness or light occasionally chucked in - whether in the form of a lighter lyric, or a particularly sweet chord/hook/backing that is there then gone. So far this album stands up pretty well. The songs are less familiar in this mid-scection; does that mean weaker as they haven't sunk into my subconscious over the years? My Beloved Monster is certainly the oddest and poorest effort yet - it feels more like an interlude, and is certainly for the chop. It's almost like the commentator's curse with sports: say something nice about someone then they disappoint immediately!

The balance appears to have shifted - I want more darkness back as the brighter sound is less engaging. I think it is temporary though as Mental and Your Lucky Day in Hell certainly bring the grubbiness back in later. The other thing I did this week is restart playing World of Tanks. Hopefully not to the level I did before and hopefully in a more laissez-faire fashion. Yesterday evening ended on a hilarious note when my (empty) artillery piece successfully completed a yakety-sax escape from a heavy 1 tier higher than me to complete a capture and win as last man standing. Epic. Why do I digress? Flower and Guest List are filler, that's why.

I have fond aural memories of Mental, despite the name, and when the song kicks in they come flooding back.... this is a little like the reverse of earlier. The lightness is in the verse - a sparse staccato touch - and the grime appears in the chorus with a much harder rockier edge bringing angst and emotion to bear. It loses the plot a little in the bridge but then falls back into its pattern which is a really strong basis... only to disappoint by going a full minute with the only lyrics being a repeated utterance of "not at all" - the edge is still in the composition though, and whilst it wanders a little in the outro the first 2 minutes of the song are really impactful. Spunky comes and goes in the way of dross and then we hit the second of the two singles I bought back in the day.

I love the spooky theme of Your Lucky Day in Hell. Mumbled lyrics over a darkly persistent tune, and that light touch that comes in for the chorus again. Contrast, it's a good idea people. Also, it's a videogame I really should get around to playing - I have it sat in my Steam list but never got around to it yet. This track is, weirdly a bit of a relaxing one, despite the haunting base - the light orchestral touch on the chorus really lifts it and reminds me of downtempo artists like Zero 7 and the like with the relaxing tunes they created some 5 years later (oh jeez, Simple Things being 15 years old makes me feel much older than this being 20...).

We are coming to the end now. Overall the album starts strong, thematic and interesting but that dwindles over time. There are good points to the later tracks, but they are not so consistently good as the front five and my attention has certainly wandered more as the tracks have gone on. Part of that may be finishing up the dregs of yesterday's wine but I do think that the quality of output has dipped since the end of Not Ready Yet - meaning that I was probably right with my comment on the lack of subconscious familiarity, and right not to run out and buy any more Eels music. Still, some cracking songs here too so I cannot really complain.

All World: Greatest Hits - LL Cool J

Track List:

1. I Can't Live Without My Radio
2. Rock The Bells
3. I'm Bad
4. I Need Love
5. Going Back To Cali
6. Jack The Ripper
7. Jingling Baby
8. Big Ole Butt
9. Boomin' System
10. Around The Way Girl
11. Mama Said Knock You Out
12. Back Seat
13. I Need A Beat
14. Doin It
15. Loungin
16. Hey Lover
17. Ain't Nobody

Running time: 77 minutes
Released: 1996

Ah now we step back in time. I went through a hip-hop phase in my teens and bought this based almost entirely on Ain't Nobody. I retain a fondness for the odd rap tune here and there - or at least a platonic ideal of a rap tune, too much of it is simply misogynistic garbage - but it is not an area I keep up with in any way. Just the odd relic like this, with associated nostalgia.

I don't remember ...Radio being so bland. Its the only word I think fits. There is some fire in the tone of voice, but the delivery is also pretty one-note for most of the piece and it is properly old school with nothing but a percussion track. Man, beats can be good, but there needs to be a little more to it than that. I had also forgotten how much some rappers liked their own names as lyrics.

I like the medium. Like spoken word material it can be very powerful for conveying a message, and when it does that well you get some pretty brilliant work. For me, personally, it's a bit of a crapshoot trying to find that material amongst the other trappings. I am not 15 any more; I am not interested in self-aggrandisement, insult hurling or power fantasy. That said, I'm Bad is a much more palatable track than the prior two - there is more going on, the sampled sirens and musical interludes make for a more rounded tune. The thought occurs to me that LL Cool J must have a horribly dry throat. That much shouty/raspy-ness in the delivery must have taken its toll over the years.

The tone shifts then. I Need Love sounds more like a plaintive needy whinge than a love song to me these days; it seems to go on forever and bores me to tears. Going Back to Cali is also less visceral. The soundscape is nice enough in spots (it goes a bit faux-jazz later in the song), but I cannot help but think the recording levels are all over the place. Half the time the percussion, scratching and samples seem to obliterate the lyric which just seems like a mistake. So far this listen is reinforcing the idea that nostalgia is looking back fondly at stuff you have never re-examined and never should. Oh well!

This feels closer to the birth of hip-hop than I remember ever thinking before, but the timing makes sense I guess: the second wave prior to the rise and rise of gangsta rap. This best-of pre-dates 2Pac's (coming later) by just 2 years but covers material back to a lot earlier - which means that there is not actually too much disagreeable subject matter here so far. I have to pause the listen for a bit though, as I am really not feeling this right now and need to go get some food having not eaten all day.

Resuming, sated, I have 2/3rds of the disc still to go. All is jingling... or rather it should be. Really if you use that in a title, and do not actually include any jingles you have dropped the ball. The way the line is delivered it sounds more like jiggling and the song has a sleazy vibe to it that makes that reading stronger. I am not a fan. I have also noticed a weird interruption on a few tracks here, annoying - just like the changed tone/theme. Two sleazier numbers back to back.

My ears prick up a little with the change of sound for Around the Way Girl - a brighter, more upbeat sound, and the first use of a sung chorus (sample?). It is a much more listenable tune as a result, though I am not really parsing the lyrics at all though and I am glad when it gives way to Mama Said Knock You Out, this chorus is an old memory, familiar. The song is supposedly a hit back against critics thinking his career was over. It gives it a visceral, personal edge and whilst I am not a great fan of the sampling here, or the violence described in the verses, that strength of feeling makes it a much more powerful song.

Back Seat is back to the sleaze and instantly forgettable as a result. A shame because it returns to the lighter style of backing which I think can be really effective with a good lyric. Not overshadowing the message. Instead here it gets to be accompanied by simulated sex noises. Ugh. As a greatest hits album this is all over the place stylistically and it makes for an odd end-to-end. Percussive to musical to sleazy to percussive, back to sleazy and over again. I note that whilst the subjects of sex and violence have arisen, lyrically there is far less cussing and swearing than you might expect, so that is something. I am not enthused about the lyrics here though. It is hard to see looking back almost 20 years to why this interested me.

Ah, I forgot cheesy. It swings to that, too (Loungin) though maybe it is just a subtype of sleazy. Actually I quite like this tune because the sample just has groove, an easy swagger, and fits well with the vocal. To be fair, Ain't Nobody is ultimately cheese too, but very fine cheese, and mostly because the milk from which the cheese was crafted was unbelievable. OK, I am stretching the metaphor. Ultimately this has made me somewhat apprehensive of the other hip-hop listens coming up. I all but left the genre behind for all intents and purposes ~15 years ago, with only a handful of purchases since, and those leaning towards spoken word. I cannot say that I have enjoyed this listen, but I will be keeping some tracks for posterity. Not many though - just 5 of 17: I'm Bad, Around the Way Girl, Mama Said Knock You Out, Loungin and Ain't Nobody pass the interest test for different reasons. Slimming down is good; I do not go for big ole butts.