REVIEW: Space Monkeys, The Daddy Of Them All (Interscope)
- Bob Gajarsky
The sounds of Oasis, Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, Beatles, Chemical Brothers and jungle music all appear on one album. Usually, when such a beast emerges in the music racks out of Britain, it's another of the Absolute Best Alternative Album In The World...Ever! series. This time, however, it's Manchester's Space Monkeys on their debut album, The Daddy Of Them All.
The Liam Gallagher-like sneer on "Acid House Killed Rock And Roll" opens this musical cornucopia with an in-your-face attitude that doesn't let up. In the band's words, "Some say it (acid house) did (kill rock and roll), some say it didn't. Who gives a fuck?"
It's this same attitude that is pervasive throughout the entirety of The Daddy Of Them All. Mixing up songs which border on pure genius, the Space Monkeys don't follow the rules on how to write songs - they make them. DJ Tony Pipes' mixing, scratching, and keyboard parts offer a marked contrast to the acid-tinged guitars of lead vocalist Richard McNevin-Duff and Dom Morrison, and make the listener realise that sometimes, any hype in Britain is actually exceeded by the final product.
"Sugar Cane" has a bit of the old De La Soul swagger mixed in with an insignificant sample from Public Enemy's "Bring The Noise". The three samples which appear on Daddy offer an insight into some of the non-Britpop music which the Monkeys have been listening to - the aforementioned P.E., Wu Tang Clan, and DJ Shadow. But amazingly, these samples don't add much to the songs on which they appear - the Space Monkeys' energy and addictive beats have already built up killer tracks.
"Ready For The Rampage" is what the Stone Roses could have become if John Squire had progressed forwards instead of leaning upon Led Zep for his new inspirations, while "Dear Dhinus" blends a backing jungle beat with a simple, light airy guitar-based foreground - and then quickly switches gear to the following track, "Smile America", in which the guitars - and jungle influences - become noticably stronger.
The Space Monkeys claim that "We're not arrogant, we're confident". And with an album as rock-solid as this one, they have every reason to be. The issue of Consumable with our writer's top 5 won't come out until next week, but here's a sneak preview of mine: The Daddy Of Them All is my favorite album of 1997.
