After a series of themed shows earlier in July involving heavyweight subject matter such as Love, Lessons, Storytelling, and Religion - with Stephens inviting potential spectators on his blog to "Imagine the worst kind of drunk motivational speaker" - they return to their para-religious high ground with new single "Letter From God To Man". To an epic backdrop (Radiohead's "Planet Telex" - after a year of sample clearance wrangling) it's the words as ever which are paramount, Meads projecting a god proud of his children's achievements in art and their ability to adapt to almost any challenge, but then quickly pointing out the dubious legitimacy of the countless acts of inhumanity wrongly carried out in his name. Becoming vexed, he points out the counterintuitive terms that have become accepted into our lexicon; friendly fire, mutually assured destruction, armament in self defence.
That Meads adopts the role of god in the first person for this diatribe will for some be blasphemy; the open-minded will however salute his expansive thinking. Let's be clear; this is not a bunch of Scandanavian teenagers versing about a few damaged headstones over Anthrax power chords; this is a genuine attempt to reintroduce a debate around the concepts of existence and spirituality back into a proudly secular western European culture. In fact, it's one of the year's bravest records yet. And that's not least because, as Meads wrily observes in character, "The last time I sent down a message, they nailed it to a cross".
"Letter From God To Man" will be released released in the UK on July 28.
Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip's album Angles is available now on Sunday Best records.
Article comments
1 - rebecca
if you will insist on using their real names please try to get it right.
dan le sac is daniel stephens - the producer
scroobius pip is david meads - the vocalist
2 - Dave the plumber
C'mon, its Thou Shalt ALWAYS Kill. If it was Thou Shalt Not Kill the message of the song would be completely changed.