Morcheeba is a UK downtempo, trip-hop/ambient/lounge trio that was pretty big in the late 90s/early 2000s but has been silent for almost a decade, creative differences, blah blah. This album is “darker” than their earlier work in a few ways: melodies are now dark and haunting instead of upbeat and whimsical, specifically ditching the uplifting strings, world instruments, and light percussion of previous albums for dark synth keys and pounding drum loops; Skye Edwards’ voice is noticeably deep and rich where in the past it was wistful and sweet. The end result is a work that sounds fuller and less saccharine than in the past, ultimately more “listenable” at the cost of being less fun.

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Try: 8!, 3, 7; 1, 2, 4,5
*=liked, **=loved

1.* 5:10 slow. sweet and melancholy, enveloping. dramatic synth keys, chill drum loops. mellow, rich fem vox.

2.* 4:18 slow/mid. fem vox are sweet and wistful in the spirit of Morcheeba past, singing of regret and loss. soothing acoustic strings. chill drum loops with effects.

3.** 4:51 slow/mid. title track. trip-hop drum loops w/scratch effect. deep bassline, acoustic guitar. this has more of a consistent driving than the first two tracks. fem vox are sweet in places and husky in others.

4.* 2:40 slow and languid instrumental. Wild West guitar and harmonica, with nice stereo separation and cool picking and noodling.

5.* 3:26 slow, whimsical melancholy. soft fem vox w/acoustic guitar. no percussion.

6. 5:19 super slow. country electric guitar, smoky fem vox, live soft drumming. wasn’t a big fan of this one, seems like a bit of a reach for “diversity”.

7.** 3:41 slow. opens with dramatic synth organ notes. gentle electric guitar, chill drum loops. equally ideal for walking through a graveyard or a sparsely furnished SOMA loft.

8.** 4:18 mid/fast. YES - finally a groovin’ song! skye takes a break on this one. hip-hop beats, sound effects, scratches, sampled male vox. funky synth bass riffs and effects. rockin electric guitar and organ.

9.* 5:09 slow. prominent live drums backed by sporadic scratching. haunting, husky, deep fem vox - probably the richest vocals on the album. dramatic electric guitar, synth keys.

10. 6:09 slow heavy live drums, electric guitar, sorta blues-rocky. fem vox that range from wistful to dramatic to melancholy. epic chorus with m/f harmonized vox. what you play leaving port on your viking ship. doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the album.