UNKLE Album: “Psyence Fiction”

DJ Shadow's influence over this disc is evident with the innovative breaks that underlie every track. However, apart from the expected imagination here, what was a complete surprise was the wide variety of genres explored. From start to finish, the whole affair is completely unrpedictable, ranging from typical Shadow-style mellow grooves, to more classical ballads, to even some speed metal (! ). Consequently, this album is not as immediately accessible as some of Josh's other releases and may require a few listens to open up fully. Nevertheless, due primarily to the creativity of the beats, the album doesn't lose its focus and remains a consistent and comfortable listen throughout from the very first sitting. Believe the hype - this was one of 1998's best and most innovative releases. A must have for all DJ Shadow fans.

Five years ago, James Lavelle said, "I have a dream, that one day I will bring together the best people in hip-hop, rock and electronica and make an album which is a melting pot of all those genres." And with Psyence Fiction, he accomplishes his goal, with a little help (actually, a lot - Lavelle's only audible presence on the LP are a few breaths into the mic) from fellow Mo'Waxer DJ Shadow, Mike D, Kool G Rap, Thom Yorke, Richard Ashcroft and several other notable names in the realm of cutting-edge music. The album starts of with pounding 'drums of death' and heavy beats laced with wise words courtesy of Kool G Rap, then leads on into the catchy 'UNKLE (Main Title Theme)'. On 'Lonely Soul', Richard Ashcroft's bittersweet-symphonic sound combines with orchestral arrangements and thick boom-baps to produce an epic track. 'Rabbit In Your Headlights' sounds like Radiohead at its abstract best, with Thom Yorke's unmistakable voice floating over a sad piano loop as beats slowly take centerstage and in the same manner retreat back into the background. I would think this is more of a filler while waiting for Shadow to drop the next hip-hop bomb but while we're at it, Psyence Fiction is an excellent example of what can happen when rock, electronica and hip-hop collide with each other in a flurry of sonic explosions.

U.N.K.L.E.'s "Psyence Fiction" is a great turntablist album (the duo is made up of the legendary DJ Shadow and also James Lavelle) that even has lots of mainstream appeal. Several different styles are present here - a little trip-hop...a little hard rock...really cool stuff. The beats are foottappers and are mostly magnificent - you'll definitely love playing most of these songs. Several pretty cool cameos fill this album - guest appearances by Radiohead's Thom Yorke, The Verve's Richard Ashcroft, The Beastie Boys' Mike D, Kool G Rap, Alice Temple, and Talk Talk's Mark Hollis are great. The songs are usually quite complex and the lyrics are usually pretty interesting if you can make them out. Except for perhaps "Chaos", there aren't any bad songs here. U.N.K.L.E. goes through several different moods and pacings throughout the album which helps in keeping the songs fresh. One song, which arguably doesn't belong, is "Nursery Rhyme Breather" which features a hard rockin' guitar and incomprehensible lyrics (it's still interesting). At first listen I would've given this 4.5 stars, but after several listens I realize that with its great standouts (like "Unkle Main Title Theme") and it's mainstream appeal that this is a fantastic album to own. Giving "5" stars was, admittedly, a tough decision. It may be barely a classic, but it's still great fun! Highly recommended!

Highlights include:

the entire album ("Chaos" is arguably the weakest)

This album is almost a classic, in a sense. It teases its audience with the possibility of it being a concept album, but refuses to be one. Instead it takes pride in showing variety to the listener.

UNKLE brings a variety of good things about techno music, and crafts them into stunning tracks. When I listen to it, I hear trip hop, drum and bass, ambient, and alternative rock-ish type techno. The tune 'Lonely Soul' can be arguably called 'the greatest tune to come out of electronica'. It features the vocals of Richard Ashcroft and the production of the man himself, DJ Shadow. He brings in classical orchestras in this 9 minute epic, which is a fine addition to this album. The rest of the tracks are well crafted. The only skip-able track I found was 'chaos', which can be dull at times.

Instead of being an original album of it own (as was Shadow's 'Endtroducing...'), it takes concepts we already know about electronica, and polishes them to an incredibly digestable piece. It is no classic, but an album worth owning...perhaps cherishing, for years to come.

It's a shame that this album got slammed as bad as it did, but I liked it for it showed some maturity on DJ Shadow's part. He was willing to work with outside artists and create a project that was really on the lines of the DJ Shadow All-Stars. The 9/12 tempo of "Rabbit In Your Headlights" works great, and "Bloodstain" is arguably the best track on this album, complete with a slight tribute to producer Timbaland. Like ENDTRODUCING, PSYENCE FICTION has a running theme, this time one of loneliness and looking for light at the end of the tunnel. While not perfect, it is a great album that seems to suffer from hip-hop heads to say "this wasn't hip-hop enough" to alternative people who said this was too "crossover". Forget about it, this is a great album. Maybe not a "proper" DJ Shadow album, but definitely an important piece of the Josh Davis puzzle.