Land Of The Loops
Bundle Of Joy
(UP)
This album came out back in 1996 and unfortunately I think that it was one of those way-overlooked releases that would have caught on big-time if a few more people would have heard it. It's funny and smart and although it's not the most well-constructed all the time, it makes up for it in many other ways (he even thanks Nutella in the liner notes).
Judging from the name of the group, you may or may not be able to figure out that the style of music on this disc is sample-driven cut-up songs with beats, sort of like the Beastie Boys Pauls Boutique without all the rapping. The man behind it all is Alan Sutherland, and the mess (and I mean that in a good way) he has constructed will have you hooked for days.
The disc starts out with a lady spelling out the name of the group before lolling off into a baby crying and then into the first track. The album really takes off on the fairly simple, but uber-catchy third track entitled "Multi-Family Garage Sale." It moves along with a fairly repetive beat and bassline, but is flavored with bits of record-scratching, cut-up female vocals and enough strange samples placed at the right time. Between almost every track is some sort of seemingly random sample that mainly just provide comic relief.
The second half of the album has it's highlights in the huge thump of the track "Burning Clutch" and the song "Crash Landing On Planet Brooklyn" that is flavored with several samples from the old blacksploitation film Dolemite. It's kind of on the lo-fi sort of things, but over the course of 16 tracks, you'll probably find yourself chuckling, grooving, or just plain getting stuck on more than one of the tracks. It's not electronic for purists, but it does remind you what one guy can do with an eight track recorder in his basement.
Rating: 7.5
