Weekend Reissue Roundup

     

Artist, Album (release date, label) 1-5 stars

Sneaker Pimps: Becoming X (EMI, February 15, 2006) *****
Deep Purple: Collection (BMG International, February 8, 2006) ***
Mountain: Twin Peaks (Repertoire, February 8, 2006) ****
Greg Lake: From The Beginning: Retrospective(Sanctuary, February 15, 2006) ****

Sneaker Pimps: Becoming X

Trip hop's peak era was short-lived, and people are divided as to exactly when that era was. There are those who claim popularity ruined the form; others never even heard it until Portishead made it popular in 1994. Sneaker Pimps were a logical extension forward from Portishead and Massive Attack; the Reading based trio specialized in the same languid swaying and swinging chillout rhythms and soulful sexy vocals Portishead made so palatable on Dummy, but with a greater guitar presence and expanded textural vocabulary. The drums kick, the atmospheric are trancey and silky, Kelli Dayton's vocals a deliliciosly slinky, and the menu is varied and engaging. The most well-known cut on the album is the sensual soulfunk single "6 Underground" which is perfection; a post ecstasy rapture that combines the chill of the melody with the edge of electronica swirlies and disembodied, echoed samples. Their first single, "Tesko Suicide" is all edge, with angular punky phrasing and eerie theremin-like keyboard; Chris Corner's guitar is abrasive and raw. The rest of Becoming X could be said to fall between those two brackets in atmosphere, although the textures are all over the place. "No Place Like Home" uses heavy metal guitar to drive home its chorus, while the rest of it is a chaotic jungle groove. "Spin Spin Sugar" is a torch song on the rings of Saturn. "Wasted Early Sunday Morning" has a dobro supplying its essential lick; drums and bass are front and center; Dalton's echoed vocal bounces off the beat. "How Do" is stunning; an old celtic folk song sung by Britt Ekland in a memorable scene in The Wicker Man, its given a multi-tracked fiddle sample as a base, and an airy vocal. Those who find electronica off-putting, or who prefer organic instrumentation, will find enough warmth to the instrumentation to keep them happy. The melodies are here, the beats, the soul, and the playing. Good, tough, smart lyrics, too.

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