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I'll be honest... my review is of an internet bootleg of 'Dive Deep' with a strong recommendation to pre-order or buy it as soon as it comes out!

I had gone off Morcheeba. I loved 'Who Can You Trust?' and 'Big Calm' but felt that 'Fragments of Freedom' was just too bright and bouncy and 'Charango' was a bit too forgettable. Then Skye left and I wasn't really interested anymore. I've still not listened to 'The Antidote' in it's entirety and the few songs I picked up on a 4 track promo copy sounded a bit coarse and not really what I wanted from Morcheeba. I felt my love of Morcheeba was a phasemore… I had grown out of. The band's recent website update goes some way to explain why I might have been feeling this way. Paul Godfrey explains that after Charango the band wasn't on speaking terms and the tension was making everyone sick so the Godfrey brothers decided to part with Skye Edwards. Another singer was brought in for 'The Antidote' but this only served to confirm to the Godfrey's that they "no longer wanted to share any power with a permanent singer". 'The Antidote' left the band "in near-ruin." Ross moved to LA, and Paul suffered from major depression. The result of all of this is 'Dive Deep' - an album they claim is an "emotional blueprint" which has restored their faith in music.

Let me tell you, it really is a matter of faith restored and I can't wait to get hold of a proper copy of the album! This is a fine Morcheeba album and, dare I say it, almost as good as 'Big Calm'. Okay, Skye isn't present but it really doesn't matter. In my opinion the album actually gains by Skye's absence. The band has become "an eclectic and open-minded collective" with no fixed singer. The Judy Tzuke tracks are fine and Manda Zomolo has a beautifully 'Skye-like' voice on three of the tracks. 'Gained the World' is simply divine (think 'Over and Over' 'Fear and Love' or 'Blindfold'). There are also more male vocals then we've seen previously, courtesy of Norwegian singer/songwriter Thomas Dybdahl and newcomer Bradley Burgess. 'Run Honey Run' featuring Burgess is my personal favourite, a hypnotic, folksy tune instantly recognisable as a Morcheeba track. The other songs on the album are also good and the Godfrey brothers do a fine job musically (there are some stunning arrangements here). Ross's guitar is mesmerising while Paul's beats and mixing ring out that (now classic) Morcheeba sound, indeed, some of the samples here sound so familiar I suspect they've been used before.

Of course, this wouldn't be a Morcheeba album without a hip hop/rap guest. American rapper and producer 'Cool Calm Pete' (from hip-hop group Babbletron) does his turn here on 'One Love Karma'. I'm not a particular fan of the hip-hop/rap tracks but it fits into the Morcheeba canon and I'm guessing it will sound great live. The Morcheeba website suggests that the album has been cut down to 11 tracks (the bootleg has 13). This is a shame (especially because Hemphasis is a pretty good track) but I'm sure they'll make excellent b-sides.

Overall I'd rate this as one of Morcheeba's best. I wouldn't say there are any 'bad' tracks here. It's warm and familiar yet it is also subtly progressive. In my opinion it's an instant classic. I hope people are encouraged by this and buy it!

Tracks

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Info:

Category:

Music > Albums

Case Type:

CD

Release Type:

Retail

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Cover Info:

Title:

Morcheeba - Dive Deep (2008) Retail CD

Part:

CD

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2852 x 2855 px

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1,102 KB

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16/01/12 by pontiacc

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