Mungo's Hifi - Serious Time
I'm going to write this review in two parts- one of the album, and one of the live performance.
Sound System Champions, Forward Ever... Serious Time. This album is technically Mungo's Hi Fi's fifth full-length, but as albums go, it's obvious this is the third "album". It's the mood-change, the message, the movement in style that's so concise on this album. The political lyrics, the roots, dub, ska, dancehall, UK dance and anything-else-takes-their-fancy genre influence and references, the modern sounds and the fantastic guest vocalists make Serious Time one I was interested in from the get-go.
Serious Time- a big opener, really sets the pace for the whole album. Lyric- and vocal-focused, with an eye on its heritage, with roots, dancehall and dub influences shining strong, with those brassy skanks, easy-moving bass, and a lighthearded feel, the dancehall influence (well pulled-off, love or hate dancehall) is strong and exciting- while the production hails its dub forefathers, and their political lyrics swinging the old roots powerful message. This is Mungo's music.
Can't Stand it is a strong and powerful track with amazing vocals from guest vocalist Warrior Queen (though I'm unsure about the odd "make me cryyyyyyyyyy" delay rings, chorus after chorus. It gets a little grating, IMHO). The production gives you a feel of moving forward into Mungo's HiFi's more modern leanings, with their unique individualism shining in a little. The kick pops, the drums sound so machine-made at times, yet sometimes the beautiful little samples pop out. The piano now starts to come clean in as a later style, though the trumpets keep it light.
31st Century Song, with that incredible Casio-style keyboard sound driving the off-beats, and Soom T, the guest MC on this track, powers it on with her perpetual-motion rhymes and a rhythm to hypnotise and excite. The lyrics still stir deep and rebellious, really building that excitement level. I honestly can't wait to hear how this comes out in a live situation. The bass mix will be something to behold alone! Once more I shout #HYPE
Bicycle Rider is fucking good. It's hard to put it any other way. The synths have jumped into the modern era of dance music, buzzing and dancing like a good crowd. The lyrics (and other mouth sounds) delivered by Pupajim are unbelievable, and strangely convicting. I'm weighing up starting cycling to work now- if, however, largely for a wanting to listen to this track while cycling. The drums in this track are powerful, light on their feet, and tense. The tight, compressed drum machine and synth splatters give a perfect and strong base for this song. The lyrics and the production make this one mind-fuck of a track.
That fucking beverly hills cop sample... brave. Thousand Style pulls it off, with a smooth transition into a solid verse, providing a stage for guest MC Mr Williamz to dance on. The chorus gets a bit repetative, and by the end I'm stuck with the feeling that he's said "lyrics for days" more than he's actually giving actual unique lyrics. But hidden in there, more and more dominant on repeating listens, are some gorgeous little verses. Now in full swing, the album is developing a strong electronic, modern lean, decisively cementing their musical direction after Forward Ever.
Animal Dance is damn weird. Like, the opening line says it all. I'm left spinning in the rapid chorus delivery, the jumping drum rhythms and another great 90s keyboard sound. The vocals sound almost a little strained at the high notes, but it holds together as a track well.
Thinking Of An Island is a dreamy, summery fantasy, floating in a bassy sea, the keys and drums dance in a mediterranean haze, and Soom T's vocals sway with a middle-eastern influence, with references to all sorts of cultures and concepts. "Is there anybody out there?" as a repeating line really builds this desert-island feeling, and the soft reverb and vocal layers makes this a lovely warm haze.
Slavery brings powerfully modern, almost cyberpunky synths to incredibly strong, political singing from Marina P. Behind this, the dancing synth bass that 90s London dub became renowned for wobbles and saunters. The track is chill, deep, and provocative, and almost hides in the background with its unassuming down-tempo face, behind which an incredible mind works.
We're going to learn about Dancehall today, okay? And with that, Solo Banton and Mungo's Hi Fi set about showing us some dub-infused Dancehall lessons. The lyrics tell you straight up, honest teachings on how to musician 101. And the beats... Sublime post-electro synths and dub-steppy bass saunter about playfully. The drums are a solid 909 (or something, 2baked2musician).Â
And then comes Nice It Up. The party tune is in the house. If this doesn't spin tomorrow night, I'll eat my headphones. It rolls, dances, with rapid drums galloping on, under rapid hoppy rhymes, backed by this raging filter-modulated bass, held on a firm leash, and swaggers with subtle little dubbiness. Charlie P shows himself off as a dance-floor god, an MC I'll have to catch live.Â
Gunman Posse is a little odd at first glance, but shows a fun and full interior after some more listens. A bit of a geode. "Squiddly" though... am I missing something?
Overcome is a strange, almost blues-influenced saunter, with Blackout JA's rough, deep vocals rasping through. An alright track, but nothing particularly exciting about it. It's catchy, but pales in comparison with the earlier tracks on this album.
And then, boom. Traveller. Traveller sneaks in like that. First you missed it, but then you're whistling it, muttering it under your breath tunefully, getting it stuck in your head, listening again... and again, and again. Personal and fun, it sings of a free lifestyle, of living on the road (and rail and... air, or whatever). The production is light and there are some great little sounds hidden in the mix, and has another selection of delicious keys. The chorus is gorgeous and summer-y, and the verses sway back and forth with wild abandon. Charlie P returns in this track to give a gorgeous, honest vocalisation. It's picturesque, and if Slavery is the title track, this is the cover track. There's your boat on your wild sea.
Babylon A Come is a surprisingly forgettable track, considering its exciting vocal performance, and gorgeous bouncing bass. The drums are subtle and well-produced, and the song is interestingly structured. Yet nothing caught my memory (other than maybe the SOAD-style shouts mid-verse), and this remains a track I'll listen to on the album only, for now. Maybe it'll click with me more later?
Jah Say Love hails right back to Serious Time, with a roots/dub style, coming full circle, and giving Mungo's Hi Fi's stylistic range a last flair. The track isn't particularly catchy, but the soft dub-delay and the soft roots vocals with their powerful and sagely lyrics are smooth and old-school. An alright closer.
With that, Mungo's Hi Fi bring to a close a very strong album. Though a few tracks and the album as a whole felt a little like they went on a teeny little bit too long, it held strong themes, fun styles, but they certainly gave us a Serious Time.
-------- LIVE -----------
Going to open with the fact that that was one of the best gigs of my life. Mungo's know how to ride the sub-bass into an audiences souls, and the live MCing was spot on. Riding on to four and a refused fifth encore, the Reading Rooms (Dundee) were packed to capacity. Mungo's Hi Fi are evidently now firm favourites in Dundee.Â
Their performance really gave me an idea of Mungo's present sound. Entrenched in UK Bass sound, they ride roots and dancehall sounds into a solid dance dub style, using any sound they like, almost pushing into experimentalism at times, and yet still rocking the old dub core of delay, sounds below 80hz, and those cliche-to-the-point-of-not-cliche sound fx.Â
The crowd was fantastic, and the ethic of "We don't take cocaine, we don't drink alcohol, we don't take MDMA, we don't take heroin, we don't take ketamine, we smoke the ganja" was obviously heartfelt. Despite what seemed like a decent effort (without searching guests) of the host venue, you couldn't walk 5 metres outside without smelling a new strain.
I could have done with hearing some more of Mungo's greatest tracks off Serious Time, the tracks spun were fantastic. The instrumental from Dancehall School turned up a couple of times, and we even heard some entirely new dub plates spun.Â
The crowd interaction was delectable, with Solo Banton providing live vocals from early on in the Mungo's set to the very end of the night, almost chatting with the whole crowd, but still unrestrained from laying verses out fast and furiously. A moment of memory is the shout-out he gave some young women who elected to dance on the bar at the back of the dancefloor (who had obviously attracted some attention). The performance really brought the whole crowd together, and the atmosphere was a rare treat.
Mungo's are one to catch live at any cost, even if it be it the rather larger ticket prices in Glasgow. Dundee is a home from home for the lads, however, and I swear to God, any dub-lover will have no regrets going out of their way to see them.
