FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1998 All Rights Reserved.
| CD REVIEW PROPELLERHEADS · Stylish North American debut from English rhythm meisters includes guest appearances by De La Soul, The Jungle Brothers and Shirley Bassey. · More samples than the perfume counter at the Bay Size counts. Separating yourself from the electronic masses these days is quite the task. With the technology so readily available, everyone and their dog can put out records, and to make your mark, you have to have something special. Bath's Propellerheads do it with size. Decksanddrumsandrockandroll is a gigantic record. The duo of Will and Alex first caught the world's attention with their rendition of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" on Dave Arnold's Shaken and Stirred project (the full seven-minute version of the song appears on this CD), and like all Bond soundtracks, the sound was full, clean and echoed through the untapped dark corners of the bass speakers. Decksanddrumsandrockandroll gets off to a fun start with "Take California" and "Velvet Pants"; a barrage of tape loops and samples are pitched over top high energy beats augmented by Will's live drumming. To show their knowledge of hip hop, they solicit De La Soul to contribute "360° (Oh Yeah?)" while the Jungle Brothers close the album with "You Want It Back." In between, Propellerheads flex their knowledge of music, but succeed best when they stop worrying about the Chemical Brothers and stick to their high-energy, Mancini-inspired anthems. When Shirley Bassey appears on "History Repeating" the duo make Yello's 1987 Bassey collaboration "Rhythm Divine" pale in comparison (oh, the Irony). Their "OHMSS" is spectacular, and "Cominagetcha" and "Spybreak!" are infectious while "Winning Style" breaks the pace a little with its slow(er), lazy beats. Propellerheads are able to bounce from style to style, but what they do best is create the big music - a task they only stumble on once or twice. 4/5 Ian Chiclo |