12
by sparky_Archive
I liked them a lot years back due to Screamadelica, XTRMNTR and Vanishing Point. Then I saw them live twice, which largely ennervated my enjoyment of these records. They were an all-stars cabaret, appearing to enjoy themselves, putting in some apparent passion, but they left me feeling very empty. Everything seemed posed and calculated, which is fine if you are performing deliberately smart-arsed. But if you are meant to be perform straightforward rock and pop, then obvious artifice is wholly off-putting.
The umpteen different instruments mixed into a lumpy soup, and Gillespie's prancing left me cold and irritated.
The Kevin Shields collaboration MBV Arkestra is one of my favourite singles, a masterpiece, I think that Screamadelica is still an ace record, but I have no desire to ever pick up one of their releases again.
What I perceive as successes under their name are due to fancy production and good taste in collaborators. The band themselves seem to picture themselves as a Robocop version of the Rolling Stones, which I find repellent.