Primal Scream: "Echo Dek" (Creation)
If Vanishing Point was Primal Scream's widescreen road movie for speed-freaks and slackers directed by Dennis Hopper, Echo Dek is more the extra-terrestrial deep and dubby sequel as scored by Bernard Herrmann. On-U Sound label pioneer and long-standing sonic explorer Adrian Sherwood is the scientist responsible for investing the Scream's latest bag of tricks with heavy-duty doses of high fidelity dub and colourful sound effects. Full-length dub versions are something of a rarity these days (Massive Attack's No Protection excursion with the Mad Professor being the only other recent example of the craft), possibly because the original material lacks the scope and flexibility to warrant deconstruction. Not so Echo Dek, with each treated track displaying ideas and arrangements previously unseen or unnoticed and sending you scurrying back to the source for further illumination.
Jim Carroll
Pressure Drop: "Elusive" (Hard Hands/Higher Ground)
This is Pressure Drop's third attempt to make the great record-buying public part with hard currency for their darkly attractive modern urban soul. Not that albums one (Upset) or two (Front Row) were undeserving of universal acclaim, more a case that record label shenanigans prevented this occurring anywhere outside of Germany. Odd, considering that Pressure Drop duo Justin Langlands and Dave Henley make tracks which resound with the claustrophobia and intensity of the best nondance floor dance records of the past five years. Elusive is a delicious thriller, loaded with prime blends of reggae-hiphop-funk-jazz, but with the individual flavours fizzling in your mouth rather than blanding one another out.
Jim Carroll
Cornershop: "When I Was Born For The 7th Time" (Wiiija)
Once upon a time, Cornershop stood on street corners, burned photos of Morrissey and fervently preached that all noise was art provided it came attached with a suitably tailored Situationalist slogan. Since then, there has obviously been quite a deal of growing up done and Cornershop's reinvention as groove-meisters on a mission to boogie is to be heartily welcomed. When I Was Born For The 7th Time knocks between passages of quirky Beck-rock (slanted hiphop beats and simplistic but fluid dynamics) and more esoteric rhythms which owe much to their experiments with sitars and layered percussion. Brimful Of Asha is Where It's At reworked by Jonathon Richman for the Anokha massive, Sleep On The Left Side has a highly inventive rolling ambience and Good To Be On The Road Back Home Again lashes some country twangs and lonesome hollers on to a slo-mo postclub soundscape. An album to dig like an old soul record.
Jim Carroll
