Lots of bands come out with fresh and creative debut albums; the fans and critics love them until their eagerly awaited second album comes out and just thoroughly disappoints. Luckily for us FFD fans, this is well and truly not the case here! 'Dr. Boondigga & the Big BW' seems, to me, to represent a whole new depth for the band.
Listening back to 'Based on a true story' after replaying and replaying 'Dr. B...' it is so apparent that they have been working really hard on these compositions. They've really honed in on that fusion of eclectic elements/genres that make up their original sound. Apart from anything else, FFD have really stepped up their production quality, too. Worldwide, they are renowned for their weighty 'dub' sound, with throbbing bass lines and reggae off-beat bass drum grooves. But there is something else about the 'depth' that seems to emanate from this album. FFD seem to have fallen into a deep, rhythmical stupor on many of these tracks- almost as if, when they were jamming the material for this album, their producer had to say to them, finally: "Guys, it's a wonderful groove, but you'll have to cut it down from 18 minutes to at least 8!".
I suppose, if there was one criticism I would make about this album it would be that some of the tracks seem to be extended longer than necessary. Track 6, "the Camel", for example, which features the warm harmonies of the guest vocalist, Alice Russell, seems to have an unnecessary 4 mins tagged onto the end. I actually bought this album on the strength of watching a YouTube video of this track but was really surprised when listening to the album that the song continues on for an extra 4 minutes after the YouTube-'radio edit'- finishes. I can't really work out why they've released this track at the length it is...it works really well as a 5 minute track. Why the extra 4 minutes? I suppose this would allude to what some of the other reviewers have said about this album being "aimless" at times...
On the other hand, however, track 2 ("Shiverman") - which weighs in at a whopping 10 minutes 36 seconds (!)- seems to take us on a real voyage. We get sucked into the pulsating rhythms and just as the bass and various synth effects, cow bell etc starts to make us feel really heady, in comes a signature FFD horn line, completely elevating the track! I'm sure that the DJs buying this album will be rubbing their hands together with the various 'clubby' beats for their decks, too! Elsewhere on the album we get a different kind feeling from the more orthodox 'song' based tracks, such as 'Boondigga' (track 3) itself and 'Pull the Catch' (track 5) and this is where "Dr. Boondigga" as really distinguishes itself as a second album. This is where we get much more of a mature sound in comparison to 'Based on a true story' and it is what makes us thirsty for more...
Let's just hope that FFD 'don't leave it too late' before the next album...!
