LCD
SPINNEY
ALBUM CASCADE, SPV RELEASE: MAY 22, 2000 REVIEW: JUNE 3, 2000


In the wake of Chemical Brothers' excellent "Exit Planet Dust", an endless row of big beat-imitators saw the light of day. One of these acts was the Swedish duo LCD that, in the making of their 1995 album "Heavy Rockets", must have worn out several copies of The Brothers' pioneering album. The efforts were sometimes groovy but hardly original.
Even though the role models basically are the same, LCD look a bit further on their current album "Spinney". These widened horizons include a more straightforward attitude to funk and house. But when influenced by the mainstream-boredom of Fat Boy Slim, this type of electronica still makes it impossible to be neither innovative nor original. Because being related to Norman Cook's big beat-adventures are simply not an advantage anymore.
The interesting parts of "Spinney" are instead to be found in the vocal and Manchester-smelling rockabilly tracks. "Baby Soul" is a downright irresistible version of a better 22 Pistipirko production and "Women Beat Their Men" take you back to 1990 when Happy Mondays ruled the charts.
I say, stop making music for commercials, go with the vocals and continue in the spirit of these rather simple tracks and LCD may have got themselves a future full-lenght must-buy.

ERIK ALMGREN