James Arden checks out the garage rockers latest album.
The Christian rock band from Brighton bring religion to the masses.
Recipe for modern R'n'B album: liberal helpings of guest rappers and an overdose of sexual euphemisms.
The hugely anticipated sophomore offering from the electro duo was released last week, following over a year of pre-release material. No More Idols grows on the reputation that Saul and Will established in 2008; featuring three singles that have already charted in the UK Top 40. The cross to the mainstream appears complete.
Not “wanting to repeat the sound of More Than A Lot”, the pair have worked hard and the album makes a pleasing listen; the band having managed to broaden their appeal and coverage from the material covered in the first. Don’t be worried if you’re a fan of the drum and bass, dubstep, electro fuelled Chase and Status; the group offer many samples across the album, so opener ‘No Problem’ does not disappoint, mixing African drum beats with a sudden bass drop that is all so familiar. But this is quickly seen to change: subsequent ‘Fire in Your Eyes’ has a similar build, but incorporates electric guitar into the drop in quite a fresh manner for the duo.
The pace is not lost. Lead singles ‘Let You Go’ and ‘Blind Faith’ feature in succession as an example of the more mainstream approach; mixing dubstep and dance music in highly addictive tracks. ‘Fool Yourself’ sees a resurgence of the type of track one may expect to find on More Than A Lot and so the album is neatly balanced by old and new influences.
Key tracks to look out for include ‘Brixton briefcase’, whose superbly delivered lyrics from Cee-Lo Green actually outshine parts of the bass, whilst playing on London slang, and ‘Flashing Lights’, a much more subtle soft dubstep mix, that sounds much more intimate and chilling. Notable amongst the heavy beats is the offering ‘Midnight Caller’, where some pop/R’n’B influence seems to come into play and it is interesting how the pair still manage to make it a sombre sounding drum and bass track – all genres are attacked and transformed.
What may spoil the album for some is the overwhelming number of features. However, this seems to be the mode by which the two have grown: drawing influences from many different artists and genres and so the collaborations are well deserved in my opinion. They afford the direction of the album and moreover they uncover and introduce some fresh British talent who are just getting their first breaks.
A smart album that was worth the wait, No More Idols is definitely an album that would appeal to both the fan and the mass market: reworking popular sounds into a drum and bass formula. Whilst hardcore drum and bass enthusiasts may be a little disappointed, it is a development and a consolidation at the same time.
★★★★☆
Like it? Try: The Prodigy, Nero, or any of the album’s numerous featured artists.
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