To All New Arrivals

by

Faithless

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...to all new arrivals... that is to say, those who may not be so well acquainted with the band, perceptions of this new album may not be so gloomy. I have never owned, listened to, or previously purchased a Faithless record before, and have only been mildly acquainted with some of their major dance tracks of years past.

This album was purchased after I saw the amazing clip for 'Bombs'. Without knowledge of the prior recordings of this band - and having absolutely no desire to trawl through their back catalogue - I find this album fantastic. It is quite clear that Faithless are seasoned musicians. You can always tell!

And yet it's not overdone either. I particularly enjoy this album's subtlety, especially given its frequently forthright, running social and/or political commentary on some tracks. I often associate albums with 'messages' with heavier styles of music - angry records that scream angst, anger, and victimisation. What a difference it makes to wrap commentary within the confines of melodic, beautiful sounds. It actually delivers the message more effectively. It strikes the right balance. It also strikes me as the perfect record to listen to in the evening.

The perception I have gleaned by seasoned fans of Faithless seem to be that this album is a so-called 'musical departure' for the band, and consequently some sort of let down given much anticipation prior to its release. Yet at the same time, experimenting with new realms can merely serve to attract new fans and admirers. I would certainly count myself among that lot.

If you're a seasoned Faithless fan reading this, I could almost hear you saying something like "take a listen to their earlier stuff and see what you think then". Perhaps I will do just that. Yet I do not forsee their earlier records detracting from my interest and admiration of this album.

One cannot begrudge any artist's attempts to try new styles. If such so-called 'musical departures' serve to attract new fans to their fold, much less provide any degree of listening pleasure, then it has indeed, in my humble opinion, well and truly served its purpose.

Quite incredibly but true, Faithless were about to split. They even released a greatest hits album and started an massive tour. While on tour, they realized they had more to give and eventually penned a few more songs for a new album. Without a doubt Faithless is an excellent live band, and they are full of fascinating musical ideas also. However they work best on catchy uptempo dance tracks like "We Come One" "God is a DJ" and "Insomnia". Some of their latest albums had less of that though, but when they finally released an album full of dance music, "No Roots" it wasn't deep enough and also became a lackluster. Considering that they had so little time to create this one, you may think it's bad. But actually it's far from bad, but it's very exprimental and meliodic and may not apply to all fans but still defenitely good enough. Maxi Jazz, a devout Buddhist will as always give his best lyrics and Sister Bliss & Rollo produce a great diffrent sound then the average record today. Ambient melodies and creative instrumentations are undeniably beautiful. What this album lacks though are hooks and danceable melodies for the pop charts. Apart from old albums this one is full of collaborations.

Harry Collier apear on the first song & single "Bombs" which is a slowpace and much more penetratable then the avarage song here. Second song is a lazy remake of The Cure's "Lullaby" Robert Smith sings the lyrics. "Music Matters" with Cass Fox is the most catchy song. A dreamy slow tempo with a decent hook. Perfect for chillout. The next two songs are hard to understand. "Nate's Tune" and "I Hope" are both riff driven songs without much lyrics, they will almost sound the same for 2 and 5 minutes. Beautiful but repetitive. Dido comes back on "Back This Day" a decent slow tempo, but lacks a hook. Collier and Maxi makes a brilliant duet on the title track "To All New Arrivals" where Maxi deals with povery, aids, and wars in the third world. Heartbreaking. "Hope & Glory" with One Escimo, another duet with Maxi with great lyrics with world beat/trip hop mix. Cat Power is the guest on "Kind of Peace" a slowtempo, also without no real hook. Last two songs are very good. "The Man in You" is jazzy, many fans may like this one cause it's something new. "Emergence" got jazz piano, with great melody. It does't have any lyrics, but it's a real party starter.

Overall, It took me a while to enjoy this. It's a little uneven, with no real standouts like "Insomnia" or "God is a Dj" but as a concept it got much better songs then their last 2 albums had, however some songs are plain boring this time and there are many collaborations for good and bad. I'm really glad they didn't split up since they're a brilliant band, on the other hand I still wished for more catchy uptempo's. As musicians though, Faithless are fantastic and there is no denying what they are capable of. I don't think there will be many new arrivals based on this album but plenty of old fans will enjoy it as always.