Unkle - End Titles... Stories for Film [LP]

September 4, 2008, 05:33 PM

As told in the very fancy and arty CD sleeve that slips inside an even fancier and artier CD case, ‘this is not the new Unkle album’. There is no theme sonically or stylistically and yet it is well put together. Very relaxed tracks are put next to instrumentals and pieces of classical music, and yet you will suddenly find yourself confronted by a song which has bursts of energy and a more rocky feel and these do not feel out of place at all. They can even be a welcome reminder that you are indeed listening to a CD and not simply drowning in thought with chilled out, melodic music as a soundtrack. At 22 songs long, although many of these are very short, it is easy to let your thoughts take over.

Track 2 is one of these songs that is quite energetic. ‘Cut Me Loose’ combines an upbeat style with an airy voice and is a catchy start to this ‘non-album’ album. Fans of Unkle used to a more electronic sound may feel a little lost, as though electronic elements are present throughout, these can be subtle or tied into more rocky or classical elements. For those more devoted to the usual Unkle sound, it may be better advised to wait for their next ‘album’ and not simply a collection of songs that have been saved from their almost inevitable non-release.

Other highlights on the CD include ‘Chemical’ which was originally used as an instrumental but here features the nonchalantly charming vocals of Josh Homme. My personal favourite, featuring Gavin Clark who does a few of the vocals over the CD, is ‘Against The Grain’. It is a heart-wrenching pleas of a song, highly melodic and has a deeper and adder feel to it than most the other songs. ‘Open Up Your Eyes’ grabs your attention merely by the dark bluesy vocals provided by Abel Ferrara, but it is another track with Gavin Clark that follows two tracks later, ‘Heaven’, that will make you lost in your thoughts again to a backdrop that can only be described as beautiful.

I personally like this collection of songs and yet know that it will not be everyone’s cup of tea. If not a fan of instrumentals or if you find songs shorter than 90 seconds pointless, you probably won’t like ‘End Titles…’, although having said that, plenty of the songs are of normal length and have vocals, etc. If not sure, give it a listen.