Brighton Port Authority (BPA) I Think Were Gonna Need A Bigger Boat (Southern Fried)
3/5
By: Tom Hocknell
Since long before Gorillaz, Normal Cook has been hiding his ego behind surprisingly successful monikers; making the most of the white-label, faceless opportunities that dance music provides - although for a man pursing anonymity he probably appeared (slapping his bass) in more videos than he perhaps he should have. He now puts Fatboy Slim (possibly) to bed, alongside Beats International and of course, Freak Power (RIP). This latest conceit is a collaboration love-in, called Brighton Port Authority: supposedly a collection of old tapes and recordings from the 1970's, which if were true means he invented house music in 1974.
A misty dream perhaps, and not that this album is 'house', but instead takes in soul, folk, soft West coast rock and touches (of course) of Big beat, which is most evident on the opener: taking a break from selling car insurance, thus demonstrating that punk was pop all along, Iggy Pop phones in an Alabama 3 vocal for a low, sleazy ride desperately seeking an HBO title sequence. But after a strong beginning the album takes such a nosedive that it gives perseverance a good name (not that it had a bad one).
'Jumps The Fence', with Connan Mockasin is relentlessly chipper, like a dirtier Dee-lite, until it morphs into a kind of Beatrix Potter tale with a hangover. This jolliness continues with Ashley Beedle's poor contribution, which arrives with the welcome generally reserved for recently returned-honeymooners at RELATE meetings.
Thankfully the album lifts up a notch once Cook switches off his default 'beats' and gives the songs some space. 'Island' is a huge improvement, with low chiming bass, and Justin Robertson's bruised hurt. However, this is a faltering step, as it's a shame the strangely curt, and bored, fade-out of Jamie T's track doesn't occur sooner, like before he stretches the vowels of 'ho-aOme' in the 2nd line; although its Clash-lite guitar and bass line isn't all bad, its just not great either.
Things finally pick up with the sublime 'Seattle', with Emmy the Great, implying her debut album is something worth investigating, Jack Penate's harmonies sit sweetly with her voice, and shares a vibe with Lily Allen's similar and recently unlikely number one 'The Fear'. Martha Wainwright gets a firm grip (gentlemen, please) around the 60's tinged reggae of 'Spade', and is a marvellous showcase of that voice, eagerly followed by Caged Baby's chilled out, strung-out, come-down of 'Superlover'.
However, the highlight is with Cook's long-term collaborator Simon Thornton, who lends surprisingly authentic soul, to the Deep Forest sampling (or is that just me?) and lush 'Superman'. It's evocative of the dust kicked up at summer festivals, and that surprisingly pleasant first pint of the day. It's a shame David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal's collaboration comes across as all head and no heart. Overall it is easy to see why Cook might want to hide behind a moniker, at least in places, but in others, this album is a resounding success: possibly of his career.
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Brighton Port Authority (BPA) I Think Were Gonna Need A Bigger Boat (Southern Fried)
Rating 2
Norman Cook is back again ay..? This time under the new alias of the BPA; The Brighton Port Authority; a bizarre story inside the cover of the album is supposed to be some clever fiction that is...Login to post your comment