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at a glance...
Hometown: South London, England
Year Formed: 1995
Personnel:
Skye Edwards -vocals, guitars
Paul Godfrey - programming
Ross Godfrey -guitars, keyboards
Notes:
With a name that goes over pretty well in the coffee shops of Amsterdam,
the members of Morcheeba met at a warehouse party in East London when Edwards
tried to sell her drum kit to the Godfrey brothers for their Clapham recording
studio. Instead, she joined the duo and began recording tracks with a sultry,
mellow vibe. After less than a year together, the group was courted and signed
to the indie label China Records. The first single off their 1996 debut album,
Who Can You Trust?, was the slinky and suave "Trigger Hippie." Though it was not
a chart success, it was beloved by virtually everyone who heard it and made
Morcheeba an underground phenomenon all over the world. Its slow, pulsing beat
also brought on the tag of 'trip-hop' to their sound, which the band quickly
disavowed. After producing several tracks with David Byrne for his album
Feelings in 1997, the group retreated to London to record their follow-up,
Big Calm. Critics who praised their debut wrote even more glorious reviews of
the follow-up; some even called it the best album of '98. The
band continued to tour the world over, this time playing to packed houses on
almost every date, including two sold out shows at the Royal Albert Hall. They
finished '98 by contributing a cover of George Gershwin's "Summertime" to the
Red Hot + Rhapsody benefit compilation album.
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Morcheeba
Who Can You Trust?
Discovery/China, Released 1996
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When Morcheeba's debut album appeared on the music scene, its tranquilized vibe raised a few eyebrows. Here was an electronic outfit, but not a dance act.
Here was a band whose female lead singer had a husky, emotive voice.
"Sounds like Portishead!" people exclaimed. "Sounds like trip-hop!"
Well, Morcheeba can disagree all they want, but those people were right. At the
time, Morcheeba were quintessential trip-hop, but who's complaining? If
Portishead's ying was a bleak grey world, Morcheeba was its yang, a new dawn of
hope and optimism. Where Portishead primarily stuck to their studio guns and
samples, Morcheeba searched for a greater musical statement, an ambition that
yielded positive, if not perfect, results.
At its core an electronic record, this album also serves up a cocktail of
blues-inspired slide guitars, writhing percussion, and slow grooves, wrapped
in a smokey ambiance (and it ain't cigarette smoke either). By the time "Col"
chimes in, you're convinced that you've been transported to a 1930's jazz club
as Edwards torches her way through a sad tale of distrust and lost love.
Though the sounds that the Godfreys cook up really smolder, it's Skye Edwards'
enchanting voice that wins you over. It's sexy as hell. The entrancing "Never An Easy Way" and shagadelic bump and grind of "Almost
Done" are great tracks, but nothing in the Morcheeba catalog impresses to the
degree that "Trigger Hippie" does. With guitars that borrow from'60's
psychedelia and low-watt kinetic energy coming from the beats, Edwards' seductive and supple delivery provides the final piece of the puzzle. This is Morcheeba at their best -- an aphrodisiac for the soul.
If you like Morcheeba, check out:
Morcheeba Big Calm
Massive Attack Protection
Portishead Dummy
gus gus Polydistortion
Sneaker Pimps Becoming X
Erykah Badu Baduizm
-- Pierre Stefanos
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