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Best known for their hit 'Hide U', which breached the UK Top 10 back in 2001, Bristol's Kosheen have been one of the more successful British acts to draw influence from underground dance culture. Their debut album, the platinum selling Resist, set out to meld the breakbeat rhythms of drum 'n' bass to more traditional songcraft, a side of the band embodied by vocalist Sian Evans.
Since Resist though, Kosheen have gradually toned down the tempo. On 2003's Kokopelli, they explored a rockier sound, adding guitars to the mix. And here on Damage, the trio's first album in four years, they delve deeper into moodier, trip-hop territory, playing up the personal lyrics and integrating acoustic instruments amid the synths and sequencers. Actually, it's the more restrained tracks that work the best: 'Cruel Heart' is a sombre number about the pains of adolescence, inspired by Evans' teenage son, while 'Not Enough Love' hitches a robust breakbeat to gently circling acoustic guitar and a desolate, folksy vocal: 'Tight as a drum/Sharp as they come/There's not enough love for anybody'.
Sadly, there's much to Damage that works less successfully. For the most part, the rhythmic, jungle-influenced rush that gave their debut a cool, futuristic sheen has mostly evaporated. Without it, much here feels at best fairly unadventurous and at worst, insipid and bland. The opening title track aims for a disquieting, Massive Attack-style melancholy but it let down by tacky trance synths and tinny strings, while 'Professional Friend', an attempt at a Garbage-style rocker, suffers from flat production and a clunky lyric: 'I've got skeletons enough to build a castle with a turret' sings Evans. Worst of all, though, Damage is extremely overlong. Clocking in at 16 tracks and over 70 minutes, this album forgets the most important secret to keeping any dancefloor happy - momentum. --Louis Pattison
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Welcome Back Kosheen - An Album That Was Worth Waiting For,
By
This review is from: Damage (UK Edition) (Audio CD)
It's been 4 years since Kosheen's last album (Kokopelli in 2003) and it's great to see the Bristol trio of Sian Evans, Markee Davies and Darren Beale back again. This time, they have produced a very well worked album in Damage.
It is understandable to say that 16 tracks may be too much to someone who's listening to Kosheen for the very first time. But be assured that if you want to hear an album that is different from what is out in the stores right now, Damage is something that I would recommend to you. To anyone that is slightly familiar with Kosheen's work, then I would say that the more tracks the better! Damage borders between the sounds from the dance style of Resist and the rock sounds from Kokopelli and mixing a fresh electro-synth sound that is easily catchy and enjoyable to listen to. The album explores the troubles of a relationship, coping with a loss, trying to bridge the gaps and heal the wounds of a broken heart. This is clearly evident in lead singer Sian Evans' song writing. The emotional but yet powerful and breathtaking vocals Sian provides really compliments each song perfectly and this sets the trend for the whole album. From start to finish there are some very good tracks. Damage, Overkill, Same Ground Again, Professional Friend and Wish You Were Here sway towards the rock sounds from Kokopelli, possibly hinting a bit of Depeche Mode and Massive Attack in some songs. But the heavy synthesizers and the emotion Sian Evans puts into each song soon becomes addictive to listen to. Chances, Guilty and Like A Book are infectious dance tracks that are suitable for a night out and makes you want to dance all night long. Again the synthesizers are a joy to hear and in some cases you could detect a bit of Kraftwerk and Yazoo influence in them as they blend perfectly into these dance tunes. But the chill out songs like Out Of This World and Analogue Street Dub, along with the beautiful ballads of Cruel Heart and Under Fire, really make this album stand out in terms of Kosheen experimenting with different sounds and styles and giving the listener plenty of variety. It's a fantastic return that was worth waiting for. Welcome back Kosheen!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eagerly Awaited and Delivers,
By
This review is from: Damage (UK Edition) (Audio CD)
This is the (difficult?) third album from Kosheen which I have managed to get on import prior to it's imminent release. It is still difficult to pigeon hole Kosheen into any particular genre, however what we have here is an album of very good songs resulting in their most accomplished and accessible album yet.
The production is far better and there is a more upbeat feel (despite lyrically still angst ridden). Songwise there are no great standouts - most of the tracks especially the opening Damage and Overkill to the closing Your Life are very well crafted and delivered. If there are any gripes, abeit small, is that on a couple of tracks the lyric to music arrangements on the opening verses do not quite fit which is most noticable on Out Of This World. Slower tracks Not Enough Love/Cruel Heart should probably have been seperated with something upbeat as there could be the temptation to stop listening at that point - don't though as Marching Orders is a great track in itself. The UK version for release next week will have bonus tracks according to the website and all in all fans of the band will be delighted with the new album - it sounds brilliant up loud!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Is it over now? Not at all!,
By
This review is from: Damage (UK Edition) (Audio CD)
Yup, this album totally blew me away. Here is something for those that liked Resist, there is something for those that liked Kokopelli and there is something for those that like totally awesome songs in genral.
Although there are a few songs that are almost europop in their catchyness, there is a significant substance to every song and the album is overall a bit darker than anything they've done before, which is something that fits Sian's voice perfectly. She really shows off her vocal chops. This is a prime example of "all killer, no filler."
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