The Sophomore Slump Claims Another Victim
Written: Dec 17 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Blue Skies, The Frank Sonata, Free Toy
Cons: Everything else--atonal, ugly, boring, and uninspired music
The Bottom Line: The Longpigs once were the next big thing. And then Mobile Home happened...
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| lambchops's Full Review: Mobile Home - Longpigs Movies |
Hailing from Sheffield, England the Longpigs earned early hits with songs On and On and Far culled from debut album The Sun is Often Out. A striking, entertaining, and hip offering, it almost wasn't released. In fact, had U2 not stepped up to the plate and signed the foursome to Mother Records none of their meteoric rise (and subsequent fall) would have ever occurred.
The Longpigs are voiced by Crispin Hunt and rounded out by guitarist Richard Hawley, bassist Simon Stafford, and drummer Dee Boyle. The Sun is Often Out earned comparisons to established bands like Radiohead and Pulp. Fortunately for everybody involved in this project they were able to make music that wasn't at all derivative and was in the end very appealing. My one complaint about the Longpigs is that they aren't always convincing on an emotional level. Even on that outstanding debut, there were moments that seem contrived and lazy. However the hits and a host of other tracks make up for the less-than-sincere parts.
On sophomore effort Mobile Home, the Longpigs aren't as fortunate. The spark that lit the debut is all but gone on the release. It is an uninteresting, uninspired, unfocused and almost entirely unlistenable. I went in wanting to like Mobile Home but it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The only moderately redeeming moments come on single Blue Skies in addition to album opener The Frank Sonata and Free Toy. I won't say all the rest of the songs are horrible--some are forgettable while still others are nauseating.
Blue Skies was an obvious choice for a single. It's an up tempo, guitar-driven pop track. Hunt drives the song with gritty vocals. This is the kind of much I came to enjoy from the Longpigs on their debut album but in the context of this release it shines even brighter than it may have on The Sun is Often Out. If you were to hear this song out of context with Mobile Home you may have an entirely different view of the band. The other two good songs are somewhat less perfect. The Frank Sonata is an odd choice to start an album. It's got a distinct Asian feel with a dash of trip hop. The gospel backing vocals are fabulous, but I'm not so impressed by Hunt. He seems tired by the whole thing. The arrangement, instruments, and groove make the song--not the vocals. Free Toy is a chipper, modest little song. The melody is sweet and gentle despite the stark and unemotional delivery.
The first indication that Mobile Home is not a great album comes with Gangsters. At first, I can handle Hunt's atonal wailing. Unfortunately as the song goes on it gets more and more painful. He doesn't seem to be at all aware of the notes he's supposed to be singing. The song feels like it was thrown together and set in stone on the first try in the studio. It's a truly aurally offensive song. Gangsters is the kind of song that sours an entire album.
In the case of the Longpigs, they didn't stop at one bad song. They followed Gangsters with the equally off-tune and horrid Baby Blue. It is hard to believe that this is the same band that once wowed me. Miss Believer is bad for an entirely other reason. It is painfully slooooow. The vocals are definitely improved, but as far as songs go, this one is a failure. Had there been some break or some change in tempo it would have been somewhat more pleasing, but as it stands it puts me to sleep within mere seconds. Seriously folks, this is not good music. The second half of the album alternates between bad and boring. Keep the Light Alight and Dance Baby Dance are merely forgettable while I Lied I Love You and Speech Bubble are awful. I wish I could say something more specific about these songs, but every time I think about them the memory makes my brain burn. If there is one thing to remember it is that Mobile Home is everything that is wrong about Brit Pop mixed with everything that is wrong about most sophomore releases. It is derivative, unoriginal, uninspired, unorganized, and off tune. It's a mainstream British pop album gone very, very wrong.
If you are interested in the Longpigs at all, my suggestion would be to steer clear of 1999's Mobile Home. The Sun is Often Out is superior in every way to this drivel. If you already own and love the debut, don't even think about soiling your opinion of the band by picking up this garbage. As far as I can tell, the Longpigs are defunct. Guitarist Hawley is pursuing a solo career and singer Hunt is part of the new band Mayonnaise. It seems the Longpigs were officially a tiny flash in the vast musical pan.
Rating: 1.5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. The Frank Sonata
02. Blue Skies
03. Gangsters
04. Free Toy
05. Baby Blue
06. Dance Baby Dance
07. Miss Believer
08. I Lied I Love You
09. Keep The Light Alight
10. Speech Bubble
11. Dog Is Dead
12. Loud and Clear
13. In the Snow
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Related Review:
The Sun is Often Out (1996)
http://www.epinions.com/content_90994019972
Recommended:
No
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lambchops
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