Scorpio Rising [Enhanced]

Scorpio Rising sees Death In Vegas moving outwards and outwards into new territory musically. The general musical formula is still the same as The Contino Sessions. To be honest, at times this album is definitely cut from the same cloth as TCS, absolutely no bad thing, the abdundance of both male and female guest singers, the arch combination of a full live band and two DJs/soundscapers.
The first two tracks, Leather, and Girls are basically two parts of the same song, inseperable, (you might as well just call them one song, Leather Girls) and DIV have basically laid out the battle plan for the album with these two songs, before moving into the experimental territory.
Hands Around My Throat is a stonker of a song, funky, catchy, simple yet also has just that enough grit about it. Rad.
23 Lies and Killing Knife are both very delicate songs, female vocals, slight indian/eastern influences, which were first heard on a few tracks on TCS and also later heard in the final track.
Only gripes are that the tracks featuring Liam Gallagher (Scorpio Rising) and Paul Weller (the cover of So You Say You've Lost Your Baby) sound exactly like what they are, tired indie. Scorpio Rising basically sounds like it was lifted off one of the last two Oasis albums, and the Weller song just doesn't fit the album! On the upside they do add a bit of variety, which adds to the albums pretty cosmopolitan feel and when i saw them play Scorpio Rising live they played around alot with it and made it sound like a Death In Vegas song basically. Another thing is when i first heard the song Natja, within 30 seconds i knew this would be the best song on the album. To say i was dissapointed that it turned out to be just an instrumental between songs filler would be an understatement! I know they've done some remixes of this track on the enhanced section of the CD but I haven't heard it yet.
If by track 8 you feel you've wasted your cash purchashing this record, by the time you finish track 10 you most definitely won't have. Diving Horses is pure blissful beauty, consuming, this song will make you cry.
The last song 'Help Yourself' is one of the best songs I have ever heard in my entire life. I won't describe it, just say that you need to hear this song, pure art. This song will make you feel at one with everything with the world and is about as close to an out of body musical experience as you will get.
Basically Scorpio Rising sees a new beast, a diving horse, beauty incarnate, rip out of the chest of the ugly, dirty, gritty stray hound that was The Contino Sessions.
However, it isn't as flawless tracklisting wise, so it loses out on a star, but is more than worth it for the good parts!!

Death In Vegas strive to add something a little different to modern music with a combination of Dance, Psychedelia and Rock n Roll. 'The Contion Sessions' earned them a Mercury Music Prize nomination and rightly so. This album never quite reaches the heights of the last album but is still a great listen.
The DJing duo have taken on a more Eastern philosophy with this record, evident from the opening 2 tracks 'Leather' and 'Girls', which are really one long track of whirling guitars coming together to some accompanying sighs. Then comes the stand out track of the album, the first single 'Hands Around My Throat'. Drums and bass lines set the tone while the electronic bleeps accompany a striking female voice (Nicola Kuperus from US Techno group 'Adult'). The fact that this song never enters the same league as 'Dirt', 'Dirge' or 'Aisha' ,though, shows really where the album misses out. You never quite get the killer punch.
'23 Lies' is the other class track on the album. Again taking Eastern roots accompanied by a breathy female singer. Superb.
Much will be said of the title track featuring Liam Gallgher. It's a good track but quite frankly sounds like a Beatles/Oasis B-Side and only delays the real ambition of the album. Paul Weller also makes an appearance but again it appears out of key with the rest of the album and is nothing we havent heard many times before on a Paul Weller album.
the album ends marvellously, however, with 'Help yourself'. 12 minutes of airy female vocals and melodies gradually building to the final orchestral crescendo giving the album to a rousing close.
Overall, a very good album thats full of good tracks but lacking a few killer singles.

Quality album, there's bit of everthing on this album, there's some belters which feature the modfather Paul Weller and Liam Gallacher and some chilled out tracks which feature Dot Allison, this album is certinaly worth a listen.