The Stereo MCs are back with a new album and have rather ambitiously launched a trilogy of videos that together form a story following the lives a young working class boy and girl as they slide inexorably into that murky underworld of drugs, crime, squatting and hopelessness.
The songs are, I'm afraid a bit unremarkable and sound a bit like the songs New Order would have recorded as album fillers in the mid-90s. The Stereo MCs have had some brilliant albums - from the early days of Supernatural and Connected to the wonderful Deep Down and Dirty and more recently Double Bubble but sadly for me the three songs that form this trilogy and are apparently the big tunes of the album just lack that something that would make me want to get up and dance to it. I can see this being the music they would play in a goals round-up on Soccer AM. As for a Jamie Cullum guest spot on one of the tracks - really? I'm not going to get all huffity about Cullum and his brand of easy listening cod-jazz (I've done that previously in this blog) but I don't think he brought anything to the tune that stands out at all. Sorry lads but I have to say it's a no from me.
The videos too are just a bit naff. I can see what they are trying to do and I admire the novel approach that allows a bigger plot to develop around 12 minutes instead of the more restrictive 4 but it just seems a bit cheesy in delivery. The child staring blankly into space as the parent goes mental inches from her face and all slowed to half speed; the child ghost of one of the protagonists watching expressionless as the car crash of his adult life smashes around him - it's all a wee bit cliched.
I really was looking forward to both the trilogy and the album but on the basis of this it's doubtful I will explore this album further. Here's the trilogy.
Boy feat Jamie Cullum
Tales
Far Out Feeling
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