Culture

Drum and Bass heads mainstream. Mixed results. (3/5)
Giving its eternal affinity with the singles format, the “dance” album can be an interesting concept. Of course, many crossovers have been made with an elite few artists successfully making the transition from the club to the couch. In wake of Pendulum’s brand of populous friendly drum n’bass, Chase & Status look set to finally bring d’n’b into the album charts. This of course ignores the fact that in today’s digital world, chances are most listeners will be downloading singles regardless. Nitpicking aside, it would be a brave and dedicated listener who would attempt to listen to Chase & Status’ No More Idols in one sitting. Suffering from its lack of human element, it’s no surprise that the strongest tracks are those with the voices of recognizable stars at the helm. The garage punisher “Heavy” features a dirty vocal from Dizzee Rascal, reminiscent of his debut album in its grit and intensity. “Brixton Briefcase” is supplied its vocal hook by the in demand Cee-Lo Green, his wailing take soaring across a throbbing dubstep bassline. Closer “End Credits”, co-written with British MC Plan B, kicks off with a plaintive guitar riff that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Feelers’ song but soon progresses into business with as-usual killer breakbeats. Combing Plan B’s tender vocal with some rising strings, “End Credits” has a climatic, cinematic style that adds a further element to the Chase & Status formula, showing them to be more than mere floor fillers. Overall too lengthy and bland for the home listener but with enough singles to warrant collection.