Morcheeba - Charango
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.00 You Save: $9.96 (71%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.79 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Charango
Free Music Review: Typical Morcheeba...
Hit: 5 Stars
Beautifully chilled and addictive music offset by quirky and cheeky lyrics with half an eye on the famous wry sense of British humour. A beautiful album that doesn't take itself too seriously. I had the good fortune of buying the limited edition CD which features a bonus CD of all the tracks in acoustic version, this CD feels like being trapped in a 1960's/70's spy movie; it's every bit as excellent as the original.Free Music Review: Just as good as the second CD.
Hit: 5 Stars
I listened to this CD yesterday morning and I have to say that I liked it. It's relaxing, humorous, and nonchalant. The first song "Slow Down" I imagine myself wearing a white cotton dress lying on a couch relaxing, not letting anything bother me. That is how this song is. Soothing.Free Music Review: Smooth sounds, uplifting vocals
Hit: 5 Stars
The Morcheeba album I'd recommend to anybody... Perfect for winding downFree Music Review: Classic Trip Hop,Chilled Out Album!
Hit: 4 Stars
Well thankfully Morcheeba have recovered from the terrible last album they made-Fragments Of Freedom and have delivered an album almost as good as the sublime Big Calm. On this new album they once again drift back into major chilled out grooves that owe as much to trip-hop sounds of Bristol to the current wave of chill out albums from many French groups. If you like your music to be laden with lazy bass grooves, sweeping strings, dreamy electronica sounds then this album is for you. They've also added an excellent array of guests just to vary the sounds from Skye Edwards soulful vocals. Once again the variety of guitar sounds coming from Ross Godfrey serve to illustrate what an excellent guitarist he is. In fact the very first track (especially the guitar) "Slow Down" starts off sounding very like Pink Floyd. It's a wonderful ambient laidback track. The lyrics exemplify what this album is all about when we are told 'that when your day is through all you got to do is slow down'. It's the sort of c.d. that's a perfect accompaniment to relaxing after work.Many of the tracks feature orchestral backing. They may not be as elaborate as say the last Craig Armstrong album-but they are strong enough to give the c.d. a classic chill out feel. Track 2 'Otherwise' is very similar to some of the sounds heard on The Big Calm album which enabled Morcheeba to really break into the big time. "Aqualung" is the first single off the album. The verses have a distinct trip-hop beat as well as some beats and scratches for good measure, before the chorus evolves into a beautiful collective sound of cello, organ and flutes. "Sao Paulo" isn't quite a latino groove. It seems to blend hints of Brazilian percussion with a lazy blues sound of harmonica and slide guitar. The title track features Pace Won on vocals and he plays the charango which apparently is a small Andean guitar and the mix of this beautifully delicate sound with the funky guitar is a real album highlight. For me the highlight of the album is track 5 which features a duet with Lambchop's Kurt Wagner. This is a truly beautiful atmospheric track-the contrast between vocal styles and the subsequent harmony in the chorus make this one of the best tracks you'd be likely to hear all year. It's not the sort of thing you'd be likely to ever hear on mainstream radio and mores the pity. The heavy beats are pitched against the beautiful sound of a harpsicord-the last time I heard this done so well was on the Massive Attack track Teardrop. "Undress Me Now" is another beautiful stunning track-it's got a really sexy vibe to it. The start does sound a bit too close to Air's Moon Safari sound especially the moogs and strings-but it may not be an original sound but it's still excellent. In fact the next track has a distinct Moon safari feel to it also. "Women Lose Weight" is a r/b sound that's at variance to the rest of the c.d. The bizarre rap story by Slick Rick tells the story of man who kills his wife cos she's overweight!
The last trio of tracks starts with the up-beat "Get Along"-another potential single. All these tracks have strong orchestral arrangements. The final track has the weirdest name I've ever heard. So if you like that trip-hop sound with a real chilled out atmosphere then buy this album!
Free Music Review: A fantastic group that have yet to reach their potential.
Hit: 4 Stars
I'm nuts about Morcheeba. They're the group everyone's heard (commercials, movies, etc.), but darn near nobody's heard OF. Matter of fact, anyone who wrote a review on them here, whether they like Morcheeba or not, should pat themselves on the back for actually buying a Morcheeba album, because hopefully, that will result in them making more albums. If you aren't familiar with Morcheeba, think Portishead, a little more funky, and on some major quaaludes. Skye Edwards is pretty much Beth Gibbons' polar opposite, mood-wise. Both bands are heavy on mood, but in different directions.
I'm a melancholic maniac. That's probably why I prefer 1997's "Who Can You Trust?" over any of their other albums. But I'm not reviewing that album, just highly recommending it, or "Big Calm" for an intro to Morcheeba.
If it's one thing Morcheeba is, it's versatile. They can emulate just about any type of music, or blend multiple genres into one, and really do it well. One minute they're really depressing, the next they're skipping over puddles. I don't think any 2 of their albums are the same, and the live instrumentation really showcases their talent. I just really wish they'd break free of their "verse 1 - chorus - verse 2 - chorus" mindframes.
In my honest opinion, Morcheeba just haven't grown. While the variety from song to song is extreme, It's WITHIN each song that you hear the same damn thing over and over. And under Skye's sweet lullaby voice, I don't want monotony, I want variety. When I hear her sing, I think of a bluesy-ultra cool gig at a jazz club, where each track is basically a jam. It's hard for me to explain, but they're wasting these instruments by making them sound like loops. EXPAND! I can understand a hip hop track, like "Women Lose Weight" going loop-dee-loop, but on tracks like "Public Displays of Affection" and "Undress Me Now", I want to just hear the Godfreys go nuts and take me away.
So for those of you who want a nice intro to Morcheeba, or something to just mope around your living room with a cocktail in hand, start with "Big Calm", then check out "Who Can You Trust?" if you feel up (or down) to it. If you want to put on some sunglasses and lay out in your backyard with a margarita, go for "Fragments of Freedom" or this album. Morcheeba has many faces, though, meaning if you don't like one of their albums, you may love another of theirs. Only the most open minded can appreciate everything they've offered. Charango isn't their best, but it's damn fine.
Other tracks to check out are "Aqualung" and "Otherwise", but they're all good. Cheers to Morcheeba, and keep the funk alive.