The reverberating acid begins as a hum, the kind of hum that settles on your tummy, but it rises and rises with ferocity, up your chest, until a miffed guitar riff paws at your thoat.
And a robot voice announces: "WE ARE THE PRODIGY."
And so to 2009, and no prizes for guessing electronic music's most anticipated release of this year.
Three storming albums (Experience, Jilted Generation, Fat Of The Land). Then there was the Album-Five-Years-Ago-That-No-One-Really-Remembers-Coz-Everyone-Still-Blithers-On-About-Smack-My-Bitch-Up-Which-Is-12-Years-Old-Yes-I-Know-Get-Over-It. I don't think that was the exact title.
Anyhoo, watch out for the Prodigy's new LP, Invaders Must Die, in March.
Allow that, my sweet reader, to be an introduction to my preview of some other albums that will caress our earlobes in 2009.
My guide is in no way comprehensive, nor is it even accurate. I have probably missed a number of major titles, and quite frankly 99% of sales in '09 will be X-Factor related, so it's all an exercise in futility.
January.
The remnants of Add N To X have teamed up with space rockers Fuxa for a looping joy of a single Add N To Fu(x)a. I hope it's a taste of more to come from this pair.
Following his well-received album Just A Souvenir, Squarepusher will release an EP of "dancefloor psychedelia" called Numbers Lucent. If the Square one isn't nominated for the next Mercury Music Prize, I'll eat my slipmats.
The shoe-collecting Telefon Tel Aviv will flop out their first full-length offering for five years. When Immolate Yourself hits, it could be one of the best discs of the year.
February.
The Eft will waft its way from Samandtheplants, while Susumu Yokota - whose hypnotic The Boy And The Tree album was used liberally on Sunday's Top Gear Vietnam special - will explore a more vocal sound for his new Mother LP.
Not to be outdone by the Prodigy, Massive Attack will attempt a monumental return with the provisionally-titled Weather Underground. The double-album of "gothic soul" is pretty much shrouded in hushness, but it is rumoured by the rumour mill that Tom Waits will feature. That's even cooler than Hot Chip's single with Robert Wyatt a couple of months back.
If the Prodigy and Massive Attack had an arm wrestle, who would win? Please discuss.
Finally for February, there's Harmonic 313's When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence, but I've already covered this so I ought to hush my mouth.
Next?
In the second half of my preview, I will cover March, then skip the rest of the year really quickly as though I don't care. I do care, but you try getting accurate release information six months in advance.
I'll also reveal the artist I'm positively frothing at the mouth over for 2009. A clue? He's a genre-buster from Glasgow and he uses the word "shite" a lot.
The Harmonic 313 looks to be a good one, and hopefully Telfon tel Aviv will focus more on the music again (rather than guest singers). Great rundown.
ReplyDeleteTa. More of a slogdown than a rundown: it took bloody ages. You don't know how important it is that Telefon release a *good* record. If I get that disappointed feeling again, I'll weep.
ReplyDeletecome on, at least 3 of the songs on the last TTV were almost bearable!
ReplyDeleteAt least. Maybe three and a half if you count the spaces between the tracks on the CD.
ReplyDelete