Released
1998
Label
Iris Light
Reviewed by
Michael Lund
Contact
Iris Light
55 Hawkens Way
St. Columb Major
Cornwall TR9 6SS
UK
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Last Edit/Update
02 juli, 1998
Hoodlum Priest
HOODLUM PRIEST
Track Listing
1. Can You Feel This
2. Naked Time
3. You Know Who I Am
4. No Fear
5. Slow And Low
6. Gas
7. Addicts
8. We Walk The Earth
After seven years of waiting, Iris Light's release of the self-titled
second album by Hoodlum Priest will easily prove to be one of the
stranger and more eccentric CDs of 1998. Fusing everything from classical themes to
hip-hop rhythms, the album also incorporates a true lexicon of film samples, and tops
things off with suave vocals that are more reminiscent of various 80s new wave bands, than
anything presently heard on the British music scene.
Hoodlum Priest
essentially is the musical alter ego of Derek Thompson; all the music on the
album was written and performed by Thompson himself, although he relied on Mary
Magdelyte to write and perform vocals for some of the songs, and Karl Leiker,
Sly Diva and Apollo 440 to add additional instrumental touches here and
there.
The eight tracks comprising Hoodlum
Priest all share the eclectic mixture of elements outlined above, but otherwise vary
quite dramatically in length, compositional approach and mood.
To begin with, the two singles
"Naked Time" and "Slow & Low" have been included. Both of these
songs are deeply rooted in rhythms of a seductively funky nature, and strongly urge the
audience to approach the dance floor. Mary Magdelyte -- who turns out to be the
pseudonym of a male vocalist -- deliver vocals that at turns emanate nightclub
sophistication and bedroom cool. "Slow & Low" is the catchier of the
two songs, with a soulful feel that surprisingly manages to co-exist with the electronic
tinkerings and sampled snippets of opera that constitute the musical backdrop. "Naked
Time" is a darker piece, making great use of a film sample (from "Black
Narcissus," I think) of a young woman exclaiming: "Who wants to be good, if
being good is singing hymns and praying all day long." The struggle between good and
evil is depicted in the musical arrangement by the juxtaposition of ethereal chorals and
organ samples with occasional grinding guitar riffs.
"No Fear" has not been
released as a single, but might as well have been. Resting on a swaying beat, the song
softly moves forward on surfaces of classical themes, incorporating amongst other things
samples of one of Bach's organ fugues. The vocals are again delivered with
elegance, seamlessly following the topography of the melodic landscape.
In the dancy vein once more, are
the tracks "Addicts" and "You Know Who I Am." Opening with backwards
skipping sounds, subdued tribal percussions and a distorted guitar loop,
"Addicts" soon develops into a very beautiful segment of classical strings
driven forward by crashing beats. The hypnotic voice -- of what sounds like some stoned
preacher -- becomes part of the rhythmic fabric, repeating again and again: "Addicts
of drugs not yet synthesized..." There are no vocals to clarify the meaning of this
sample, but an appropriately euphoric atmosphere is established by the exotic
percussions and coursing, distorted guitars, which swirl around the repetitive words.
Likewise beat heavy and dance
inspiring, but with interludes centered around horror film samples, is the extended
"You Know Who I Am." Magdelyte again provides some very charismatic
vocals, wickedly whispered in the spirit of you know who, and samples of
classical music are almost continually audible in the distance. The piece as a whole has a
nice meandering quality, moving through a variety of aural environments ranging from
free-spirited rhythm segments to ominous sequences of aural cinema. Relying even more
strongly on film for its source of sounds is the opening track -- "Can You Feel
This." A hollow beat and classical airs support a ceaseless stream of samples from
science fiction movies; especially Lalo Schifrin's innovative sound design for THX-1138
has been consulted extensively by Hoodlum Priest in the composition of
this piece.
Towards the end of the CD, the Priest
relaxes with some congas and guitar. Like thin clouds the subdued sounds of an organ still
hover above the scene, and, at the very end, the otherwise crisp guitar does turn into a
politely howling entity. However, "Gas" remains an uncharacteristically
undramatic affair. The same cannot be said for the darkly atmospheric "We Walk The
Earth," which closes the CD. Incorporating segments of tantalizing rhythms, fragments
of symphonic themes, and a slew of effusive film samples, the piece plays most of all like
an extended reprise of the broad and colorful musical terrain traversed by Hoodlum
Priest on the first seven tracks of the album.
Hoodlum Priest really
has it all. It features a wonderfully detailed and rich sound; it successfully brings
classical music into contemporary electronica; it has humor and good vocals, and -- above
all else -- It is a CD with many great dance tracks that any self-respecting DJ should
have in his repertoire.
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