The Brighton Port Authority: I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat
Brighton Port Authority: I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat
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Wednesday, 04, Mar 2009 05:14
Southern Fried Record.
In a nutshell...
Sample-driven, guest heavy, 70's rock grooves.
What's it all about?
Following the release of two teaser singles - Toe Jam and Seattle - the BPA released their official debut exclusively through Amazon on January 6th, were more traditional releases following over the following weeks. More of a collection of singles than an album proper the record features guest spots from notable contributors, with only Cook's distinctive style to tie the whole brew together. Comprising 12 tracks, the '... Bigger Boat' chimes in at just over 40 minutes in length.
Who's it by?
During the 1990s Norman Cook was riding high in the guise of Fatboy Slim. He could seemingly do no wrong, with You've Come a Long Way, Baby riding a wave of popular acclaim all the way to the top of the charts, Cook launched the Brighton Beach Party attracting hundreds of thousands of revellers to the south-coast for some of the biggest dance events the country had ever witnessed. However, in the intervening years his brand of sample-reliant Big Beat dance became somewhat old hat, with Fatboy Slim seemingly mining an ever diminishing clutch of ideas. While Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars and Palookaville both sold respectably they both met with critical disdain and eventually forced Cook to reconsidered his modus operandi.
Now, in unison with studio wiz-kid Simon Thornton, Norman Cook and his gang have been reborn as the Brighton Port Authority. While it is an interesting step for an artist palpably in decline the rewards are somewhat limited, with BPA merely relying on the star power of its guests' performances to replace the sample Cook formerly relied upon - with only mixed results.
As an example...
"Every day is f*****g perfect, a paradise/Watch my life like it's a movie, had to watch it twice." - David Byrne on Toe Jam
"Jumps the fence like a toad, jumps the fence like a toad, jumps the fence like a toad, jumps the fence like a toad, jumps the fence like a toad." - Connan Mockasin on Jumps the Fence
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
With such an eclectic array of talent the album should appeal to a wide cross section of the musical fraternity. David Byrne (of Talking Heads fame) along with insurance salesman Iggy Pop should act as the headline names to draw the crowds, with more contemporary names - such as Dizzee Rascal and Emmy the Great - also carefully cultivated to appeal to a younger audience.
However, it is Cook's own star billing which will make or break the album. His decision to release the record under the name of the BPA suggests an awareness of the dated nature of his more famous moniker, which he appears to be moving away from here. Those with a sepia tinted view of the past will likely be willing to listen to more of the same, but times have moved on and popularity is a fickle mistress.
What the others say
"One thing an album with a different singer on every track can do is make points about singing voices and what they can mean. (See, for instance, Stephin Merritt's 6ths' albums.) Bigger Boat mostly blows that opportunity-- its lesser-known singers mostly deliver by-the-numbers Britpop technique," Douglas Wolk at Pitchforkmedia.
"Musically, it's all over the place, rarely memorably," Andy Gill for the Independent.
So is it any good?
With Norman Cook today checking himself into rehab, one wonders if he had just a little too much fun recording this record. More of a side project in some ways that a full flown band - being virtually impossible to tour without its eclectic range of stellar stars - it seems to be more of a sidestep for Cook than a career development. While some of the tracks presented here achieve a direct hit, including Toe Jam (which has one of the greatest videos of 2008 - see above) - many others miss the mark entirely.
While old hands - including Iggy Pop on He's Frank, Slight Return - act as a safe pair of hands and present passable imitations of their pomp, some of the 'smaller' names on the bill are a touch lightweight. Emmy the Great's attempt on Seattle is inconsequential and could be any dance-lite act from the last decade - thinking Moloko, Groove Armada or something even worse. Similarly Jumps the Fence, featuring the digitally altered vocal 'talents' of Connan Mockasin is just irritating - offering repetition in an attempt to build reputation and failing miserably.
Overall the lack of focus undermines the album. The beats are often inconsequential and even frivolous, bouncing along lazily with little energy or verve. On occasion they are saved by an interesting vocal performance, but this appears as more of a phonebook vanity project, with Cook showing off his contacts more than his talent.
6/10
Chris O'Toole