Description:
It's no surprise that Morcheeba's fourth album Charango has been given a summer release to catch the chillout boom. Since bursting into the charts and national consciousness with 1998's sophomore album Big Calm, the trio have carved a veritable niche as purveyors of evocative nuevo-lounge and dreamy ambience. While 2000's Fragments Of Freedom saw the South Londoners' first tentative step out of the "coffee table" pigeonhole, Charango is the sound of them relaxing, infusing influences such as hip-hop, country and cinematic scores into a joyous blend of humour, romance and soothing melancholy. There are vintage moments s
It's no surprise that Morcheeba's fourth album Charango has been given a summer release to catch the chillout boom. Since bursting into the charts and national consciousness with 1998's sophomore album Big Calm, the trio have carved a veritable niche as purveyors of evocative nuevo-lounge and dreamy ambience. While 2000's Fragments Of Freedom saw the South Londoners' first tentative step out of the "coffee table" pigeonhole, Charango is the sound of them relaxing, infusing influences such as hip-hop, country and cinematic scores into a joyous blend of humour, romance and soothing melancholy. There are vintage moments such as the lush lethargy of "Slow Down" and the string-laden single "Otherwise" but some of the most interesting tracks are the result of collaborations. Having written "What New York Couples Fight About" and "Undress Me Now", Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner lends his achingly-emotive vocal to the former, while providing Skye with some charming lyrical raunch on the latter; "Using Your Mind / Imagine Our Skin / Joined At The Hip / Joined From Within". "Women Lose Weight" meanwhile is far less romantic; featuring rapper Slick Rick's dulcet tones, it's a tongue-in-cheek tale of a husband driven to murder by his overweight wife. Recorded soon after Rick was released from prison for shooting his cousin, it's of dubious taste if nonetheless entertaining. Adventurous and inspired yet dripping with Morcheeba's trademark languid rhythms and tranquil melodies, Charango is at the very least a return to form and arguably their best work to date. --Christopher Barrett
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Manufacturer: East West
Release date: 1 July 2002
Number of discs: 2
EAN: 0809274696328 UPC: 809274696328
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