Headline: You Look Real Sexy in That Tight Sweater
It's a crying shame that a band like Moloko was enjoyed and celebrated more in the UK than here in America. Especially, around the time that Electronica was kicking off. While most of you listened more to Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers and other familiar characters, Moloko was fighting for attention without ahaving to use a commercial and so far, the only result is that their only American album, Do You Like My Tight Sweater?, was given more attention, while the rest of the albums (I'm still anticipating Things to Make and Do and my main focus album Statues to be released in America, not as an import; I just discovered their album I Am Not a Doctor) was released in the UK. It was around the time the eccentrically fabricated Tight Sweater got the notice it deserved that I heard Moloko on a Batman and Robin CD. (Not only do I still love the single, but the song should not have been truncated to under 4 minutes on this Catalogue album.) The next time I heard about Moloko was from buying The Mystery Men soundtrack (still my favorite soundtrack to date) and ever since then, the go-go-like music and energy caught my ear so much, I wanted to hear more. Of course, not only would I forget to buy what sounds like a masterpiece, Do You Like My Tight Sweater, but around the time I anticipated their release of Statues, it never made it to the states from what I remembered. Now, they release a Greatest Hits album wisely named Catalogue, with a humorous cover. With this album, I beg you to buy this album to discover Moloko's best musical approaches.
Probably before Royksopp before them, Moloko had Roisin Murphy, the lead vox (the Skye to Moloko's Morcheeba, rather), to either bring lyrics and turn the song intro an imaginative adventure, or have her make you want to fall in love with her. With Catalogue, the songs prove that it doesn't fail every time. Either way, their songs never had too much use in being bombastic or musically belligerent. Though some of these songs are unfairly cut and terribly mixed (their new or familiar version of "Indigo"). Now for the other singles, I never got to really hear. One is called "The Time is Now" when Roisin coos "You are the first thing/You are the last thing on my mind", only to create a romantic atmosphere with the music, and make for one of the musical pheromones that somehow work every moment you give it. After that comes "Sing It Back", which brings back the essence of soul, disco, and recovered genre of funk only to bring back the old use of the disco ball (which is later accomplished during their Statues hit "Familiar Feeling", also truncated, but without my notice).
The song that really grabbed my attention was the sexy "Pure Pleasure Seeker", kicked off by an odd choice of a beat, but a sign that Roisin's character just may be one of the women from Venus that Mars couldn't quite handle. In this song, she searches for "instant gratification" "all the way from Venus, invaded by Mars". Just the song that trumps the PCD by not only being obnoxious about the protagonist's freakiness, but proves that rarely can a song as weird, too, can cause this to be a hit in whatever clubs this song invaded. A little odd that the song is turned down by the emotionally mixed, along with the chillout enjoyment "Cannot Contain This". Following afterwards is the heartbroken, as well as the creatively-titled "Bankrupt Emotionally" and the nocturnal "Day For Night", which by the way isn't the best single on the album. Now, those who heard Mystery Men or Things to Make and Do will either love this makeover, or think that this is the worst interpretation of their single. Personally, if I first heard the song here like this, I would have thought it was their lackluster attempt yet.
"The Flipside" is their single where infatuation turns from an attempt a beginning with a Fugees sound to IDM enjoyment, where more added upon the wagon, to make this the album's sleeper track. The song I would have usually skipped, the oddly titled "Where is the What If the What Is in Why?" asks questions, in which half of their questions couldn't quite be answered by What the Bleep Do We Know!? Anyone who has ever questioned things will find some of the famous questions spread all over the table. Then the album closes with two other sleepers: the party plea-for-a-partner "Forever More" and the much mellow melancholy, and minimal use of electronics (far from overdramatic, really.) "Statues" to end this album on a wonderful note. After listening to music that is under an hour (shy of 2 minutes), you just wish you had a little more, don't you?
It's a good thing this album wasn't an import, or else all I would ever hear of Moloko is just 3 singles. I've finally been exposed more to the world of Moloko, not just to the heart and dialogue of Ms. Roisin Murphy and the soundtrack of Mark Brydon. A good start in trying to catch up on the rest of their catalogue. The music is weird, eccentric, and all heartfelt enough for them to slip into electronica and possibly be the world's best kept secret (in America, anyway) in chillout, electronica and possibly in the reincarnation of funk. Face it. Frankly, fun has never really sounded this endearing.
Rating: 8.75/10
Moloko, the "post-trip hop" turned dancepop duo from Sheffield, England has an impressive musical catalogue. From the experimental electronica of Do You Like My Tight Sweater, to the funky stylings of I Am Not A Doctor, to the stylistically-confused but vocally expressive Things To Make And Do, and the lyrically mature and lushly orchestrated Statues, Róisín Murphy (vocals) and Mark Brydon (production) have shown that they know how to entertain. Catalogue, a compilation album that spans 1995 to 2003 and pulls from band's entire output, is a distillation of the former couple's talent.
This review is for the two-disc "Value-Pak" edition of Catalogue. The first disc contains all of Moloko's singles (with the exception of "Dominoid"), the album-exclusive "Bankrupt Emotionally," and "Statues" (the title track of Moloko's fourth album; who knows why this made the cut). The track listing omits the fact that "The Time Is Now," "Sing It Back," "Fun For Me," "Familiar Feeling," "Cannot Contain This," "Day For Night," "Indigo," and "The Flipside" are radio edits. Moloko has a complicated history of edits and mixes, and Catalogue presents you with most of the popular versions. Unfortunately, if you want all of the radio edits, you'll need to pick up the singles/EPs for "Forever More" ("Take My Hand," a bonus track, makes this album worth having anyway), "Dominoid" (which is a radio mix very different from the album version), and "Pure Pleasure Seeker." "Where Is The What If The What Is In Why" is the album version, which is technically a radio edit of a slightly longer (and even better) track that can be heard on the rare Moloko EP; it would have been nice if the original was on this disc instead. Despite the track decisions and obvious omissions, Catalogue is an incredible compilation because you get many edits that you won't find on the main albums (but will hear in the music videos). And then there's Disc 2, a live recording of a 2003 concert at Brixton Academy, that is simply icing on the cake. The recording quality is excellent and Murphy, although she sounds a bit tired, has quite the presence. It's also fun to hear how the song arrangements differ from the studio versions.
Here's a rundown of the Disc 1 tracks:
"The Time Is Now" (Radio Edit) 5/5. This is one of Moloko's best. Fueled by acoustic guitar, bass drum, strings, and Murphy's silky voice, it'll make you move. The radio edit omits the second verse (or third and fourth verses, depending on how you're counting) in favor of a more symmetrical form. I slightly prefer the album version, but this is still an excellent edit.
"Sing It Back" (Boris Musical Mix Edit) 4/5. An excellent, catchy dance track. It lacks the build of the album version but cuts out a bunch of unnecessary repetition. Ideally the edit should have been somewhere between the length of the original and the length of the Catalogue track, and it should have included a lengthier and more ambitious guitar solo, but you can't have it all.
"Fun For Me" (Radio Edit) 5/5. This is a case where the radio edit is better than the album version, largely because it cuts out questionable repetition of lyrics. The distorted bass line is awesome, the lyrics are about as fun as they get, and the music video is killer. It was also featured in the Batman & Robin soundtrack, for those of you keeping track.
"Familiar Feeling" (Radio Edit) 5/5. This is hands down my favorite Moloko piece. Acoustic guitar, a variety of percussion instruments, strings, and probably Murphy's strongest vocal performance ever make it a standout track that you won't be able to get out of your head. And talk about energy! The radio edit, which cuts out the lengthy intro, is every bit as good as the album version.
"Pure Pleasure Seeker" 3/5. Meh. This is one of Moloko's worst singles. It sets a groove with contrabass sax (which is in itself awesome), but the sax becomes grating because it goes nonstop and the piece doesn't move anywhere; it's harmonically and melodically stagnant. Clocking in at 6:30, the piece is frankly hard to sit through. I guess it's ok if you're dancing, though it's easily eclipsed by more interesting songs.
"Cannot Contain This" (Radio Edit) 4.5/5. More catchy, danceable electronica. The build is slightly better in the album version, but the radio edit cuts out some lyrical repetition of "can-not con-tain this," which is not a bad move considering how many times you hear that line to begin with; I can't really choose between the two.
"Bankrupt Emotionally" 4/5. Another groovy piece with some nice jazz voicings. It doesn't really go anywhere, but it's far more interesting than "Pure Pleasure Seeker" because of the slow layering of sounds. Not one of my favorites, but I'm glad that Moloko put an album-exclusive piece on this compilation album.
"Day For Night" (Radio Edit) 4/5. An ok piece for the dance floor that has a very different vibe from the other Moloko tracks. I'm not a huge fan of the album version, but this radio edit is slightly better for pure listening because it shortens an overly repetitious piece.
"Indigo" (Radio Edit) 5/5. A lyrically-awesome and totally catchy song that makes Moloko feel like the precursor to Lady Gaga (the music video only adds to that claim). This radio edit is better than the album version, which drags on a little too long.
"The Flipside" (Radio Edit) 5/5. A trippy piece of art with a killer, funky "half-time feel" section. The radio edit is REALLY close to the album version and only cuts out a small part of the very end as far as I can tell, so either version works well.
"Where Is The What If The What Is In Why" 4/5. I prefer the original version found on the Moloko EP with its extended trumpet part to the radio edit/album version, but the piece makes for some decent downtempo listening.
"Forever More" 5/5. I have no idea why this isn't the radio edit, but the strong vocals and jazzy brass inflections will probably keep you coming back to this lengthier dance piece for moar (oh, hey there, Hammond organ).
"Statues" 4/5. Another solid track, but an oddball on this album because 1) it is not one of Moloko's singles, and 2) it's a somber ballad. If I were making this compilation, I would have replaced the track with the missing single, "Dominoid" (specifically the radio mix, not the album version).
To put it simply, if you're new to Moloko, Catalogue is an excellent place to start, and if you're a Moloko fan, it's an awesome place to end. The music falls somewhere between Portishead and Zero 7, and this is groovy, quirky, danceable electronica at its best.
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