Unkle’s first album was controversial, mainly because the gap between the hype (the album evinced epoch-making genius) and the reality (the album was, er, a bit patchy) was so huge, it seemed to swallow James Lavelle’s Mo Wax empire whole. Main collaborator DJ Shadow having deserted, Lavelle’s new partner is the unknown Richard File, which doesn’t bode well. A drawn-out intro heralds a lush but unthrilling album, criminally wasting the talents of Jarvis Cocker and Brian Eno (“I Need Something Stronger”) and 10cc’s Graham Gouldman (vocal arrangement on “In A State”) while having the nerve to sample Black Sabbath’s majestic “Changes” (“Back And Forth”). Eminently dispensable.
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