Quantic - Mishaps Happening (Tru Thoughts)
June 2nd, 2004 by duck
Occasionally I doubt whether Will Holland actually ever bothers to sleep, because Quantic related releases have been falling like rain for the past two years, at a rate seemingly beyond the abilities of mortal man.
Well, he’s at it again, as “Mishaps Happening” drops on Tru Thoughts just in time for the Summer. And Summer is going to be the perfect time to experience the title track, which opens the album with a breezy jazz vibe underpinning Alice Russell’s scat vocals. Indeed Mishaps Happening (the song) makes a good yardstick for the whole album, because it features even more live instrumentation, and in fact, more collaborative efforts than previous Quantic solo work.
This brings us nicely to the second track Use What You Got, which features Sonny Akpan’s vocals on a distinctly afrobeat influenced rhythm, albeit one that’s a little light weight next to the heavy, heavy monster sound of the genre’s originators. Which is not to say that the track isn’t pleasant, it just doesn’t ever quite go where it might.
Track three, and Alice is back, this time with a full vocal on the Sound of Everything, which is an absolute bundle of joy all over; It’s loose limbed riffs and hand claps combining to great effect. So far so good, and straight into En Focus which really does start to evoke the ghost of Fela Kuti, and features a fine vocal performance (in French) from one Trinidad.
Trees and Seas is probably the first track that really sounds like what you’d expect from a Quantic solo LP, restrained but funky instrumentation, and fancy drum programming, but even here there’s some excellent live rhodes and clavinet in the mix.
The album slides on in a laidback manner through the percussive dubbed up work out Angels and Albatrosses which for some reason sounds like the theme to a cheap Ironside rip off, but at least allows the moog style bass and snappy snare of Furthest Moment to make a real impact as Mr. Holland goes a little broken beat on us - only a little, but it’s no bad thing at all as it’s around here that the album moves into a new gear.
First single Don’t Joke With a Hungry Man featuring the legendary Spanky Wilson bursts onto the scene next, sounding like the dancefloor jazz real deal - even if once again it’s a little lighter on the production than I’d prefer, although I suspect Gilles Petersen will be having kittens over it!
We’re back to the broken beat end of things with Prelude to Happening which is a beautifully chilled piece, of deep, string laden future funk and then our Spanky pops up again for the harder edged When You’re Through.
It’s at this point that the album reaches it’s peak with the “is-it-jazz-is-it-drum-and-bass” of Perception. The Tru Thoughts forum has been buzzing with talk of this track for some months, and it’s easy to see why as the vocal refrain of When the Bombs Fall is particularly apt in view of current events, and between the skippy drums and brass stabs, the track is a real party starter.
Mr. Holland then says So Long with the help of Alice Russell, and a very laidback outro to the album.
I’m sure Quantic will be back with us again before long, but there’s really no hurry, as Mishaps Happeningwill certainly be soundtracking many a long summer night, and no doubt well beyond this particular summer!
Duck
