My apologies to Mr. Bryan Ferry, this isn't meant to question your intellectual ability, but for the sake of getting my work done during the day, I question Groove Armada's motives in choosing to collaborate with your awesomeness.
Exhibit A: Groove Armada's 2008 Late Night Tales Collection: punctuate the sickeningly infectious bass line, lose the distractions and emphasize Ferry's lyrics to Roxy Music 1980's hit "Love is the Drug". In effect making it as good as a whole bag of sour patch kid candy's...right up until that point where your tongue gets numb from too much sugar. Delicious, but you can't eat anything else for a while.
Exhibit B: Groove Armada's brand new album "Black Light", and Bryan Ferry's guest vocal contribution on the track "Shameless". On an album full of peaks, Ferry's collaboration with Andy Kato and Tom Findlay is the lone valley to cross on the album, and it's done outdoors at night with only the stars to guide to your way. Haunting, yet exhilarating all at the same time.
Yes, Black Light is a definitive step in a new direction, but not one that deviates too far from the one laid down with the classic that was "Soundboy Rock". I will be the first to admit that the downtempo classics that were "Join Hands", "Hands of Time", "At the River", and "From the Rooftops" are sorely missed by the hardcore fans, but Ferry's trippy turn on Shameless is the olive branch to both the GA fans of new and old.
Similar to Soundboy Rock, Black Light starts off out of sorts with a collection of rock, 80's synth pop and drum and bass before finding it's dance-floor groove with "I Won't Kneel". Paper Romance kicks it into high gear with a track that should keep the cool kids bouncing all summer. Fans of old, will be pleased with the heavy Joy Division influences on the album's first single Warsaw, featuring Nick Littlemore, who makes his fourth and final guest appearance on the album.
"Shameless" highlights the back end of the album before "Time and Space" exudes the groove that was the Armada circa "Lovebox", and inaugural Pop Idol winner, Will Young caps things off on "History", a track that could find its way on any dance floor, or Depeche Mode album this year.
With the days of trip-hop and electro-chill on the way out (just look at Zero 7's latest album "Yeah Ghost), it makes sense that Cato and Findlay have taken the next evolution, and with tracks that will keep most DJ's around the world spoilt for choice, the duo have succeeded in taking that next step, unlike "Ghost", which just meandered in the netherworld.
Review by: Fraser Slind
fslind@gmail.com
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