Where Did The Night Fall

Artist: UNKLE
Label: Pod/Inertia
Website: unkle.com

When reviewing music it's important to maintain an objective stance: sure you might not be into Electro House or Nu-rave, but Christ knows someone is, It wouldn't be cluttering up the radio otherwise would it? In this regard it beats me who Where Did The Night Fall appeals to and that makes it very difficult to judge impartially. The credentials are certainly there and in keeping with UNKLE's history of star studded guest spots there's a cast of recognisable names engaged in songs that sprawl across the generic map like a gargantuan musical tarantula.

However therein lies the problem, its all well and good freeing yourself from generic constrictions but it needs to be done with a sense of purpose. Otherwise its all too easy to get lost and in doing so a lot of the soul and character of the music can dissipate, which is exactly what has befallen Unkle on this record. Rather than sounding like a multifaceted tapestry that bridges a multitude of styles this largely sounds like it fell into the murky grey crevasses between generic plateaus and is blindly trudging through the gloomy depths looking for a suitable exit.

Adding to this impenetrable fog is the fact that the whole album seems to have been recorded from the opposite end of a long, empty metal shed. Why they thought this was a good idea is baffling, especially since turning it up louder only serves to make the experience nigh on unlistenable. Particularly irksome is the fact that almost all the vocal contributions seem to have been recorded with a layer of distorted fuzz that could have been nice if used sparingly but becomes tiresome after 13 unrelenting tracks.

This isn't to say that this is a bad album, it isn't derivative at least and you can't help but admire Lavelle's aspirations, but when it comes down to it Where Did The Night Fall is a continuation of the gradual decline that has followed since Unkle's seminal early work. Honestly, its about as exciting and satisfying as spending your entire Saturday in Ikea; sure there's some nice features to admire and you'll leave feeling as though you achieved something, even if you aren't sure exactly what that is. However the fact will remain that you'll never get back the time spent on the endeavour, you'll be a little bit poorer and you'll be left with something you didn't really want or need in the first place.

This all might sound incredibly mean and to make up for it here's some nice comments: The artwork is rather tasty (there's naked ladies and everything!) and there's an extensive booklet of it. The last three tracks on the album are actually pretty good, carrying sufficient weight and conviction to justify the ambition at the heart of the album. And finally in an unexpected twist one vocal receives the sort of recording quality it deserves, namely Mark Lanegan's vocals on 'Another Night Out', which coincidentally happens to be the stand-out track on the album. However it remains that this is far from Laneghan's best work and it's too little too late to redeem the album as a whole. As it stands Where did the night fall will have to be judged as a boldly adventurous but sadly drab and directionless album that should have been a lot better than it is.

James Farrell