Imperial Leisure - The Art Of Saying Nothing [Album]

Universal

March 13, 2009, 02:16 PM

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Having first discovered Imperial Leisure at a private party that they were playing a few years ago. Immediately I went home to see what I could find out about them. The answer wasn't very much, but they have gone from strength to strength from there and are finally getting the recognition they deserve.

Imperial Leisure are a ska/hip-hop outfit that takes the energy of a dozen school children and spreads it through a group of grown men. I don't even know how many there are in the band, as when I've seen them live, they have been on stages more suited for two or three performers, and the members of Imperial Leisure seemed to stretch off into the distance. The live show is what Imperial Leisure is all about, and should you ever get the chance to see them live, then take it. Imperial Leisure love performing so much that they will just set up in the middle of the street and begin to play. There are videos on Youtube and their own site, that you should check out.

But, hey! not here to review their live performance, or go on about how much they enjoy it. I'm here to tell you about their album. How does all this energy and excitement fit on a CD? Well, it just gets squashed up a bit.

The album is nearly as good as seeing them live. It is still a really great album but I kind of wish that I had heard the album before seeing them live and this would have caused my enjoyment of them to be on an upward gradient rather than this slight dip.

By saying this, I feel as though I've betrayed them slightly. Don't get me wrong, the album is fantastic. It is still completely full of energy and I constantly find myself dancing down the street to the more bouncy songs on the album. Even now, I'm dancing up and down in my office at work and everyone is looking at my with a perplexed, but amused expression.

Imperial Leisure have a nice range of styles and do take influence from a number of different genres, while still maintaining their very ska and hip-hop sound. The songs vary from the very bouncy Untouchable to the rather more subdued Alperton. The slower songs act more as punctuation marks to the album, adding texture to the meaty substance of the exciting tracks. Imperial Leisure add some very needed and often forgotten ebb and flow to a genre that can often end up feeling one dimensional.

One of my main praises of Imperial Leisure is that using genres that could very easily be dragged into being very similar to their American counterparts, Imperial Leisure remain truly and wholly British. Through their style and lyrics, Imperial Leisure sing and rap their through the more superficial and fun issues that we face as the great unwashed. Drink, women and song are the key issues that the youth face in these troubling times, it's nice that a band can come and remind us of the good times.

Listen to this album: and dance like a loon.

Personal notes:

I've taken so long reviewing this album for one reason, and one reason only. I didn't know how to convey how awesome this band are without just grabbing you by the collar, shaking you and shouting in your face! I am usually very degrading about the music that I listen to and am overly critical of most albums, but this album is awesome. Hopefully the band will release a Live album at some point too! This album is one that I just haven't gotten bored of, it's highly recommended. It is as enjoyable the first time, as it is the last.

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