My favourite dub qualities of subtlety, a gentle build-up and the calming re-assurance of phat bass are all wonderfully present in the opening track Ernie. Unfortunately it starts feeling a bit tired after about 4 minutes, and then the upbeat section disrupts the subtle mood.
Cay's Crays brings all the dub goodness with a great horn melody, a nicely minimalist chorus, a trance-like feeling throughout and occasional punctuation with the calls of "fire!". I also really dig how the song gently ebbs and flows along. It is a real art to keep a song engaging for over 5 minutes with just minimal subtle changes, but Cay's Crays is an example of how Fat Freddys Drop hits the nail on the head.
This Room is more drum'n'bass than dub, but I appreciate the variety it provides for the album. Ray Ray also lacks an offbeat, therefore I hate it of course... just kidding! The start features a great driving groove, although I find it quite disjointed in the middle, due to the staccato section and the relatively large changes thereafter. However, all is forgiven when it comes together beautifully for the climax.
Dark Days is a vocal ballad style, and it just doesn't speak. Also I think the song feels confused towards the end, due to an overpowering dub-style bass guitar (or double-bass perhaps?) and kick-drum that doesn't suit the style or insert any meaningful energy.
Roady features an infectious rocksteady groove A++
The reason we're here is Wandering Eye. Or more specifically, that incredible tip-toeing bassline. It carries the song for 6 minutes, yet feels like it could go on forever. The creamy horn line, the mischievous lyrics, the subtle increase in intensity for the chorus, etc are all wonderful... but in the end they're all just supporting actors for that legendary bassline. (In my book, this album ends when the bassline does.)
Favourite songs
Cay's Crays, Ray Ray, Roady, Wandering Eye
Final thoughts
I have a very narrow-minded view of this album, but it still brings much enjoyment.
No comments:
Post a Comment