Morcheeba Album: “Charango”

Although this is Morcheeba's fourth album (not including their stint with the "Back to Mine" series), "Charango" is just as fresh and artistic as each of their previous albums. In my opinion, they once again succesfully venture into new ground while keeping the sound that has been their signature throughout their previous releases.

The album starts off with the slow and sensual track, "Slow Down", which is reminiscent of their approach in their debut album "Who Can You Trust?", a nod to their fans from the beginning. They seem to tell you to relax and chill, which is what I loved about Morcheeba from the start.

The next track is "Otherwise", which I felt very easy to get into. This one reminds me of their second album "Big Calm". However, it has a different edge to it as Skye (the lead singer) is blasting a no-good lover, something new from the usually optimistic group. I like it though, this group always tries something new. This may be the track most people would enjoy as it is, I feel, the most mainstream.

"Aqualung" is another track I like due to it's fresh poppy beat which keeps a slight tone of melancholy. It's an interesting mix of instruments but it does maintain an easy harmony.

"Sao Paulo" is another new direction for the band, and possibly the track I love the most. The music is not something I haven't heard before, but the lyrics are ironically powerful, a completely different mood from the background.

"Charango", which features Pacewon, is a cool upbeat groove with sporadic rap here and there. I like this one, pretty urban and chill, but like many of the songs in this album, there's that dark tone.

"What New York Couples Fight About" is another dark urban story set in an otherwise simple tune. Kurt Wagner sings with Skye here, and I feel he does a great job.

"Undress Me Now" is a sensual groove with what I think is a little bit of 70's style thrown in. It's still Morcheeba though and the lyrics are clever. Great slow soothing track, something to use to set the mood.

"Way Beyond" is a another track I enjoy a lot. This one kind of has some 70's groove thrown in too. It's a relaxing tune with an interesting held-back message in the lyrics.

"Women Lose Weight" is like Will Smith singing an Eminem song. This features Slick Rick who I felt does a great job for such a strange release from Morcheeba. I though it was enjoyable to listen to but such a dark story may turn some people off.

Pacewon returns in "Get Along". This sounds like it was made between "Big Calm" and "Fragments of Freedom", the group's 2nd and 3rd albums, respectively. It's a slightly more cheerful song, but once Pacewon comes in it turns around and becomes gritty. Cool track!

"Public Displays of Affection" is another interesting track. It's a frustrating song for me, but I love it for that. Very rough and serene at the same time. Oh, the lovelorn...

"The Great London Traffic Warden Massacre" wraps up the album. It's an upbeat musical score with what I felt was another dark undertone. It's very subtle which makes this song, in my opinion, brilliant.

I must admit, I bought this CD purely on Amazon's recommendation, knowing little about the group other then the few songs I've heard on compilations. It starts off with an ethereal sounding piece with female vox (think Portisead, Dido, etc.), pretty mellow...Somehow it moves organically and naturally through this sort of mellow electronica to hip hop and back.

There are a few hip hop songs on this release, which I wasn't expecting, including old school master Slick Rick, in the tongue and cheek 'Women Lose Weight.' Women may be prepared to hate it based on the title alone, but you'd be missing the point. It's hilarious.

Overall - It flows really well and defies comparison to other artists! If you're into great music, you'll dig this ecletic, yet flowing mix.

`Charango' was my introduction to Morcheeba and after getting (and loving) this, I went on to get their greatest hits `Parts of the process'.

Morcheeba are UK trip hop/electronica trio, in a similar vein to Portishead and Lamb. Their style is a mix of fusion, blues, and funk with strings, guitars, keyboards, beats and scratches.

Opening track `Slow down' is a mellow, dreamy song with wind like effects and lead vocalist Skye's sultry clear-as-glass vocals. Great guitar! Next is the string swathed `Otherwise' with some delicate guitar. `Aqualung' takes you on a musical swim with its delicate keyboard, guitar and scratches, and ghostly backing vocals.

`Sao Paolo' starts off with some country sounding guitars which give way to a slow, lush tropical sound with ethereal vocals. `Charango' is a fusion jam with some spoken/rapped verses from guest Pace Won.

`What new York couples fight about' is a dreamy, movie like song with spoken verses from Lambchop's Kurt Wagner, and Skye harmonizing and singing the second verse. Very atmospheric.

`Undress me now' is a lush, ghostly sounding guitar ballad. `Way beyond' with its wind like effects is a melancholic ballad with a horn laden chorus.

One of the highlights is the hilarious, groovy `Women lose weight' featuring rapping from Slick Rick. The lyrics tell the tale of a man who wants to do off his fat wife so he can be with his secretary. Morbid and funny, and a very 70s soulful chorus.

The haunting `Get along' features Pace Won rapping, and is a mellow, bubbly, dreamy midtempo retro sound with Skye sounding a bit like Debbie Harry. Fantastic!

`Public displays of affection' is more upbeat but still delicate, and closing track, `The great London traffic warden massacre' is another rich fusion jam. Everything in its right place. Awesome!

Impressive! I like it.

...I bought the new Morcheeba, my THIRD Morcheeba purchase. Lucky me -- I got the 2-CD set (which has a 2nd CD, all instrumentals of the 1st CD). (I skipped Fragments of Freedom because of the reviews from lovers of the first two Morcheeba CDs). I've loved Morcheeba since I bought Who Can You Trust? when it first came out. And I can definitively say -- Charango is Morcheeba in [top] form on [most] of the tracks, although a couple tracks go over as filler. But that's saying a lot for Morcheeba, in a day and age when most CDs have the reverse ratio -- a couple good songs, and all the [rest] filler.

The best songs on Charango -- "Slow Down" - "Aqualung" - "What Do New York Couples Fight About" - "Public Displays Of Affection" have The Signature Morcheeba Sound -- these ALL have that trip-dub, minor-key sound first introduced with "Trigger Hippie" and "Tape Loop" (from Who Can You Trust?).

"Sao Paulo" practically makes you feel the sultry Brazilan heat yet has the trippy undertow you know, expect and love. "Way Beyond" is sung/played in major key, and a light-hearted vein -- and the change from a minor to a major key makes it all the more devastatingly satirical. If I didn't know they were British, I'd think Morcheeba was describing the typical American urban yuppie-(...)-metrosexuals one can find in big-city singles bars/clubs, who drive SUVs they can't afford, and, in general, spend money they don't have on stuff they don't need to impress people they don't like.

I could live without "Women Lose Weight" but that's mainly because I don't like rap at all, unless it's very old (Grandmaster Flash) or Missy Elliot.

Since I got the first Morcheeba CD "Who Can You Trust?", I've heard and read their trippy sound variously described as "trip-hop", "electronica", "the Bristol sound", "groove", etc. All not very helpful descriptions.

What it should REALLY be called "Amsterdam coffeeshop soundtrack music" -- because that's what it IS. Charango (and Big Calm and Who Can You Trust? -- as well as CDs by other artists like Portishead, Euphoria, and Air) is the sound of sitting in an Amsterdam coffeeshop, high on the best house Shiva, sipping a cappucino, dreamily staring out the window at the passing Amsterdammers, choosing to take a few steps back from the world to chill.

If you've been there and done that, you know what I mean. If you haven't, and you can't get to an Amsterdam coffeeshop, just listen to Charango. By itself, in a non-altered state of consciousness, you'll get there in spirit anyway. It's that mellow and that good.

Morcheeba is one of the best chill/lounge artists I know. Although I haven't heard some of their other albums, I'd be willing to bet this is best. Every single track is sooo good! You can put it in without having to skip once. "Slow Down" is truely fantastic, one of my favorite songs ever--from any artist, but "Otherwise" is also fantastic, along with "Aqualong" "Undress Me Now" "The Great London Traffic Warden Massacre" and even "Women Lose Weight" although the lyrics speak of a man killing his wife because she was too fat, lol... but don't worry, even with silly morbid lyrics Morcheeba pulls it off flawlessly.

Overall, this is one of the best albums I've bought in a LONG time. There aren't a ton of tracks, but with ALL of the songs being good, you'll find quality is way better than quantity.