Prodigy, The – Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned
Prodigy have finally delivered the follow up to their album “Fat of the Land,” which was released 7 years ago. The attempt at a comeback was 2001′s single “Baby’s Got a Temper” and was pretty much just laughed at. It was a poor excuse for a song. “Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned” was made by only one member, Liam Howlet; the other two have no contributions here. Instead, Liam called on loads of guest vocalists to help him out.
The song “Spitfire” kicks off the album in a big way. The track is loud, in-your-face, and relentless. Juliette Lewis provides the vocals and, surprisingly, has a great voice. The track does harken back to “Fat of the Land” but is otherwise a killer opener. “Memphis Bell” features an appearance by the rapper Princess Superstar. The track has a slick little beat to it and is a nice dance song. It’s nothing amazing but it is still good fun. “Get Up, Get Off” features Twista on vocal duties and the beat fits perfectly into his style. It really gives Twista something good to work with. It is an amazing collaboration; they should work together more often. “Wake Up Call” is the track that maybe Liam wrote after the 2001 disaster. Kool Keith is on vocals for this song. The beat is mega, except for that bell which reminds me way too much of waking up. “Medusa’s Path” features an amazing intro which is a sample from Iranian artist Gholam Hossein’s work. The track is a mix of an Iranian tune plus elements from Prodigy, which really makes for an interesting and very different track. It is one of the album’s true highlights. “The Way It” has a rather intriguing sample on it since Liam was able to get the rights to Michael Jackson’s song “Thriller.” That must have been incredibly difficult, but it’s an amazing remix of the song minus the vocals.
“Always Outnumbered
Orbital – One Perfect Sunrise
What a way for Orbital to go out. The last track from their new LP “The Blue Album” is their first single from it. The track is a angelic and dazzling track that really showcases the potential of Orbital for making a killer tune. The only real problem is that it sounds like its 1995 still. But the song still works it’s a splendid little number and we all still love Orbital.
By John Siwicki
Kasabian – L.S.F
Their first single was a top twenty hit, Leicester ‘s finest return to try to one up their success. After first listen you can tell this is very radio friendly. The simply and delightful electronic noises against that catchy hook, gets you going immediately. Easily noticeable are the Oasis and Primal Scream influences with a hint of the Happy Mondays (these tunes do have a certain swagger to them). While the tunes are good but its nothing really new here but certainly the band are poised for big things.
By John Siwicki
The Libertines – Can’t Stand Me Now
The boys always seem to have something going wrong. This new tune comes out while Pete is in rehab similar to last summer when they released “Dont Look Back Into The Sun.” Clearly, “Can’t Stand Me Now” is autobiographical of Pete and Carl’s relationship. The vocals’ duelling back and forth makes the listener feel like they are actually listening to one of their many arguments. The duo sound like they’re talking to one another more than singing, but somehow this song is relatable. We all have had the same arguments with friends but it never sounded this good.
By John Siwicki