we got monkeys - 5 years of moshi moshi records
5 years. grief. and yet only 4 full lengthers. never mind the quantity feel the quality.
interesting title, one little known fact is that the label could have been called 'i got monkeys' and so they have obviously decided to revise this old idea for this release.
i just hope that its not a reference to the way the label regard their acts .. ho ho.
a lot of these tracks have been discussed elsewhere so my opinions and love of many of these tracks will come as no surprise. from the gloriously simple melodies of matt harding, to the mellow afterparty ambience of junkboy to the downright scary hip-hop of zan lyons, the divine tunes of ingo star and j xaverre (a track not featured on recent lp .. and is worth the admission price alone), the old school sweet trip-pop of blue foundation.
where this compilation is even more interesting are the new unheard tracks.
the strange electro noodlings of unsound, the weird synths and twisted acoustic guitars songs of hot chip (playboy hits the listener immediately with its engaging vocal treatments), and last but deffo not least .. phil stadium. there is also a label exclusive of a collaboration between noonday underground and pete ingo, 'the plague', with its hip-hop loops and pete's prince-type funky ass vibes coming over like a lost sly stone b-side. dance ? i nearly knocked the mdf-coffee table into the neighbours living room. excellent stuff.
.. am i keen to hear the newly recorded ingo stuff. what do you think ?
then there is 'phil stadium'. is this a real band or a label intent with a middle name of 'albert' ?
'phil a. stadium' - geddit ? oh sod it, i'll get me coat. with this being the andrew wk of moshi moshi. lets rock indeed - shattering all illusions of moshi moshi people being quiet unassuming pleasant folks who sit around with serious pop music intentions. as phil stadium is indeed a large ROCK noise, which stands out large and proud amongst the all encomapssing niceness around it. a strange juxtaposition. but not an unwelcome one thats for sure.
icing on the cake for many will be the reappearance of the pedro/kathryn williams 'demons in cases' for anyone who has not got the single then this will make them realise just what they have missed out on .. my fave track of 2003, still stands up. a breathtaking 2.5 mins of natural electronica.
all in all the compilation is a mish mash of styles that makes your head spin, ass move, skin tingle, heart fill with joy, emotions flow, and, hopefully bring a smile to many listeners faces.
superb. all of it. now where's that banana ..
tracklisting :
all this for a mere £3.99 ..
matt harding - flint, noonday underground featuring ingo star cruiser - the plague, unsound - devote your life to a lost cause, hot chip - take care, phil stadium - breakdown, junkboy - welcome to the party, j xaverre - bingo wings, matt harding - tonight, ingo star cruiser - seafood, unsound - bit 0 bit 03, hot chip - playboy, sukpatch - hey jolie, junkboy - coming down, pedro vs kathryn williams - demons in cases, blue foundation - hollywood, zan lyons - suicide