‘Ugly Side of Love’, this latest offering from the Bristol duo, made to the recipe of the handful of highlights of musical history, lashings of creativity, and a healthy heap of self indulgence , all mixed with vivid imagination is tearing the seams with individuality and excitement.
A textured tapestry, this is both uplifting and enigmatic. The ethereal opening of first track ‘Warriors’ had me hiding behind the sofa expecting Thriller-like zombies, until the trippy meandering beats kick in, and I found myself kicking back with hazy visions of the sun setting whilst the band jam, man. ‘Shitkicker’ moves along like a marble down a chute, albeit infinitely more of a propulsive groove , whilst ‘Snake Charmer’ has a ‘Lucy In The Sky’ psychedelic kick. As well as The Kinks influence on woozy love song ‘Another Sun’, we are treated to hints of Ian Brown and Beck. Fading World would not sound out of place behind ‘John Wayne’, until the mixing decks kick in and the cinematic scene changes to the desert island.
Although it seems as the perfect soundtrack for a game of ‘name that tune’, only two pieces of the puzzle are actually samples, and the rest of the mix cleverly crafted by Gee and Scott themselves.
There is no coherence, and although initially bewildering, this is exactly what works. No one wants a whole album of whooping singing, and if all the songs sounded like The Kinks Malachai would be criticised for, well, making songs that just sound like The Kinks. Like a box of chocolates, the magic is in the mix, and Malachai is the wondrous Willy Wonka.
http://www.noizemakesenemies.co.uk/review-malachai-ugly-side-of-love
