Red Snapper
Our Aim Is To Satisfy
(Matador/Warp)
When Red Snapper released their Making Bones album just over a year ago, I was ranting and raving on the thing. They incorporated elements of jazz, breakbeats, techno, and even a little bit of rap and soul into their sound for a unique and refreshing album. It was a step up from their Prince Blimey release and I even placed it at the number 2 spot for the year in my top albums of 1999 list.
Perhaps that good of an album lends itself to the next one being a letdown, but the group also my alienate themselves a bit from those who liked their last release, simply because Our Aim Is To Satisfy is a much more downtempo affair. There isn't any "Like A Moving Truck" or "Crease" anywhere to be found and besides one track (possibly two, if you stretch it a bit), this album is a much more sedate one, opting for a more laid-back feel instead of getting you up and moving (although it might inspire a bit more of get-down moving, if you know what I'm saying). Overall, they manage to make the transition fairly well, but there are a couple tracks that simply makes me feel like I'm listening to yet another unexciting fusion group (something that Red Snapper has never managed to come across as).
The first and last tracks actually fall into the category I was talking about when they pull off a new sound. Although the first track "Keeping Pigs Together" works a smooth midtempo rhythm, there are also some nice orchestral sounds added and an absolutely slimey thick keyboard layer and shimmering guitars that make it one of their most cinematic tracks ever. The same goes with the last track "They're Hanging Me Tonight," as they crossbreed dark electronic sounds with a slight touch of spaghetti western. It's sexy as all get-out and the group just keeps up the cinematic sounds on tracks like "Belladonna" and "Alaska Street."
On both "The Rake" and "Some Kind of Kink," the group bumps up the BPMs and throws in some weird, distorted vocals as a bed for MC Det (returning again) to lay down some of his smooth vocals. With a live feel and some cool looping guitars, the latter works better and is the best bet on the release for making you shake the rump. They even delve into a big of a reggae sound (with varying results) on the track "I Stole Your Car."
One track on the album stands out as kind of a stinker, and that's "The Rough And The Quick." With diva-esque vocals and a pseudo-disco groove, it sounds completely out-of-place on the disc musically and the lyrics recall the nasty style of some hip-hop stylings. Not sure if it's trying to do something new, but it's been done before and it instead sounds like a big weak spot right in the middle of the disc. Besides that, though, it's a pretty solid release, but it definitely goes in different directions than Making Bones. If you like the slower side of the group, it's a must-have, but if you're waiting for more dancefloor burners, keep waiting.
Rating: 7
