Day One: Probably Art
Bristolian trip-hop from yesteryear on Probably Art
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Monday, 29, Oct 2007 12:55
One Little Indian, out now.
In a Nutshell...
Apparently people are still making Trip-Hop.
Who's it by?
Day One are Phelim Byrne and Mathew Hardwidge. They have been kicking around the Bristol scene since the mid-90s and managed to release a record called Ordinary Man in 2000, which was apparently 'critically acclaimed' (though we've never met anyone who has ever heard it).
Aside from bringing his ridiculous name to the party, Phelim does the words for the band, while Mathew is in charge of everything else, being something of a multi-instrumentalist. Being from Bristol, the lads like to make trip-hop, because they apparently think it's still 1997...
What's it all about?
Remember when Bristol's musical contribution to the world was something more than psy-trance raves and hosting early Keane gigs? Roni Size, Massive Attack and Portishead were making music that was new and exciting and gave people a reason to get on a train and visit the West Country for something other than funny accents and cider. In fact, trip-hop - that heady medley of downtempo beats and hip-hop vocals - was so trendy that people like Madonna allegedly listened to it while they had sex.
Well, Day One grew up on that music, and were even signed for a while to Massive Attack's own Melankolic record label.
After knocking out a debut record in 2000, the lads flirted with fame briefly, contributing songs for things like Six Feet Under and Trigger Happy TV. Then everything went quiet and we've not heard a peep out of them since.
Well, now they're back with their sophomore record. They're still making music that sits comfortably under the trip-hop umbrella - the only problem is that no one else is wants to shelter under than particular shade anymore. As if to highlight the downfall of trip-hop, the only guest vocalist Day One managed to convince to join the party was Will "I'll do vocals for anyone with cash" I.am.
As an example...
"Trying to be a good man, trying to be a true man/Not doing much but I'm doing the best I can" - Money
"Give it to me, give it to me/Do it now 'cos I hate waiting/More than a minute and sorry you've lost me." - Give it to me
What the others are saying...
"Whenever Phelim Byrne and Matthew Hardwidge stick to the rhythm and appeal of their storytelling traditions on a hip hop backdrop, they sound... well, good" - Ben Hillman at music-news.com
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys?
Gritty social poetry is pretty big right now. Everyone from Jamie T and Kate Nash to the Arctic Monkeys are trying to go all Mike Skinner and be witty and profound about what it's like to be an intelligent youth in urban Britain today. And judging by the enduring, and inexplicable success of Messr T, critics are lapping it up. That said, this is an abjectly terrible record and if it gets an award, it'll only be because the judges have been in some kind of cryogenic freezer since Blue Lines. And if during the thawing process they had their ears removed.
So is it any good?
Probably Art is an absolutely terrible record without a single redeeming moment in its 50-minute assault on taste. Unfortunately, one sentence doesn't really constitute a review so we decided to compare what the blurb said with the hellish reality that is Day One's latest offering.
They say: "Britain's favourite urban story tellers are back."
We say any band who makes songs that sound like a worse version of Sublime should never come back once they've had the decency to go away in the first place. Also, living in a city doesn't make you urban. Even Gareth Gates lives in Clapham.
They say: "blending the story telling traditions of hip-hop and British folk along with a slew of influences, including jazz and classic rock."
We say apparently the story telling traditions of hip-hop include mumbling about mundane stereotypes and basically constructing a story around the most obvious rhymes possible. Funny, we thought it was about disenfranchised minorities finding their own voice and carving a place in a tradition that had ignored them. But no, according to Day One, it's all about nicking a load of annoying sounds and doing some scratching over the top.
They say: "Featuring a hot new collaboration with Black Eyed Peas all-star Will.i.am."
We say any collaboration with Will.i.am is guaranteed to be about as hot as a dose of the clap. And this one is worse than his appearance in that terrible Pepsi advert which doesn't really make any sense.
They say: "Probably Art sounds fresher than ever and sits perfectly alongside 2007's young social commentators Kate Nash or the Arctic Monkeys."
We say that it's never great to indicate 'freshness' by name checking two bands who people have already started to get annoyed by. It's also probably not that clever to compare yourself to one girl who only had one good song and then vanished faster than you could say "sub-par Lily Allen". Or a band who genuinely have redefined how it is possible to write witty lyrics and catchy songs about being young in the UK right now. Especially if the best you can manage is "All we are is lost on a Friday/All we do is drift into Saturday". I'm sure Alex Turner is literally quaking in his Chucks.
They say: "Whether you're into hip-hop, trip-hop or rock, Day One have something for you on Probably Art."
We say: yes, a great incentive to get out some old records you really like and never ever listen to Day One's record ever again.
1/10
James Cooper