Chicken Lips - Experience of Malfunction

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  • "He Not In." There. I've said it. Chicken Lips have since woven together a patchwork of sounds, but their expansive wordless anthem from 2002 famously unravelled all the threads that would run through it—the influences of dub, disco and loft-party house; Andrew Meecham's warm synths and the textured beats of drummer Dean Meredith; silly track names which would later be topped by even sillier vocals. Subsequent releases and side projects like The Emperor Machine have made occasional leaps in surface style, but taken only small steps along dance music's evolutionary timescale. Even now, with the release of the first album on their Lipservice imprint, the disco oddballs' DNA remains unchanged. Experience of Malfunction takes inspiration from the unpredictability of vintage analog equipment, with every happy accident recorded for possible inclusion. This loose concept manifests itself in a few passages of fax machine funk and the closing meltdown of "Bounty," leaving the rest of the album for the Lips to drag their magic bag of old tricks into slightly new territory: one footstep back from the dance floor. From the micro-disco of "Loty" through to the wonky ballad "End of the Beginning," condensed synth lines and compressed drums cluster around tight little grooves designed for headphones rather than the collective headspace of the clubbing masses. Edging away from the wide open spaces of greatest hits fodder "Is That You or Me," "Blanc Tape" or, indeed, "He Not In," Malfunction retreats to what Meecham describes as his comfort zone: "synths and dark rooms and spliffs." While Malfunction might feel like a private party, there's no doubt that everyone involved had a great time. Life and soul is vocalist Jonny Spencer, who came decked out in full David Bowie fancy dress. Matthew Dear needn't worry – Spencer eschews the icy cool of Berlin Years Bowie and adopts the quiff and shoulder pads of '80s Dave, crooning his way through "Ronsilver," "Kudashuda" and "She Fish." PR claims that the lyrics "always tell a story and provide thought provoking messages" are misleading, but verbal brain farts like "lights, legs, lose control, spinning your body with a northern soul" echo the unrestrained, mindless fun of the music. If this sounds like your kind of party, get involved—gatecrashers welcome. But if you're looking for innovation, well... he not in.
  • Tracklist
      01. Loty 02. Ronsilver 03. No More 04. Bounty 05. Kudashuda 06. On a Stick 07. OK Now 08. She Fish 09. On the Box 10. End of the Beginning
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