Telepopmusik - Angel milk (26/05/05)

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Telepopmusik

Telepopmusik - Angel milk (26/05/05) - Album Review

Telepopmusik
Angel milk
(26/05/05)

Right, good news first…Telepopmusik are back!! With equal grace and finesse as their last album ‘Genetic world’, ‘Angel milk’ (never tasted it myself, but it sounds lovely) brings with it a thorough and often moving encounter with the mesmerising world of Stephan Haeri, Fabrice Dumont and Christophe Hetier greatly assisted by vocalists Deborah Anderson, Mau and Telepopmusik regular Angela McCluskey.

The bad news isn’t all that bad; only that, as with the last album you may think Telepopmusik are not cut out for rap. Personally, I new the tracks which had (quite bad) rapping on them and always made it to the > >skip button in time. Unfortunately, this has the same anomaly in the form of Mau. His attempts at a 3-D (Massive Attack) impersonation with neither the lyrics nor the rhythm to pull it off can often ruin a good instrumental which would otherwise give the great musicians spotlight. When Mau sings it’s fine, but…… anyway.

I’ll move back on to more positive things about this album, one being the opportunity to have the lovely Angela McCluskey round to stay in my ears again. That girl has a unique voice that is an easily recognizable wave amongst the vast ocean of vocalists we hear today.

Angela opens the album with her beautiful throatiness that makes you want to shed a tear then fetch some cough linctus' for the poor lass. With the trademark cracklings and sparkly blips riding throughout the beat broken rhythms, ‘Don’t look back’ is a great song.

Not to ignore the other vocalists Deborah Anderson comes in with a fine folkbeat of a song and a voice reminiscent of Bjork when she’s not free-styling. Mau makes a good contribution with his (none rap, don’t get me started) kings of convenience style singing.

But halleluiah! Back comes Angela with epic, big-stringed cinematic jazzy numbers. ‘Love’s almighty’ is an example of this and a huge focal point in the album. Apart from Ms McCluskey’s hoarse bleats and the feeling your in the middle of a 70’s art-house love story it contains a fantastic ‘mock’ malfunction/breakdown separated with “lets start again…” then a huge high-leg kicking brass return, Shirley Bassey eat your razzle dazzle heart out!

The album in whole incorporates many different moods from claustrophobic massive attack to dreamy film scores but manages to mesh them all together well (with certain exceptions…hold me back!).

If you haven’t heard Telepopmusik before then ignore the comparisons with Air. What is with that? is just because they’re French!!!? You may as well compare Bob Marley to Althea and Donna; from the same country, similarity stops there. Honestly.

Telepopmusik have definitely carved out their own sound and it’s difficult to pigeon hole them. But sit back close your eyes, take a long sip of Angels milk and enjoy the ride, I just hope you don’t hover over the >> like me.

Paul Smith

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