Reviews
Stateless
I first heard of Stateless when they supported DJ Shadow a good few years ago in Sheffield. At the time, I remember being taken aback by the mishmash of sounds (not to mention some hyperactive drum patterns) delivering a sort of rock-cum-electronica-cum-trip hop.
I think I’ve inadvertently come up with a new sub-genre…my sincere apologies for that.
Anyway, after getting my mitts on the debut (self-titled) album I enjoyed it more than enough to welcome this, their second studio-LP, with open arms. Admittedly the latter wasn’t without a few hiccups but it was clear, above all, that they were trying to do something different.
And indeed they still are; that modus operandi differs precious little on ‘Matilda.’ As lead singer Chris James puts it “I wanted you to enter a world…and travel through that world, meeting different characters, and having different experiences along the way.” To that extent, it’s a success. The only drawback in meeting such an array of characters is that the individual experiences tend to vary somewhat, and not always in entirely positive ways. At times, the album captivates and succeeds in creating cinematic overtones but at other times it ebbs prosaically and lacks the holism that it aims to create.
‘Curtain Call’ does its rather broody atmospheric thang amidst lyrics tinged with blame and admonishment. That said, at 6 minutes-plus long, it feels drawn-out before we get to the distinctly more intriguing ‘Ariel.’ This starts with some otherworldly twangs of guitar before James’ vocals kick in with lyrics around ‘dancing with the Devil;’ fittingly there’s something sleazy and suitably unholy around the driving sub-bass attached to the chorus. It’s not hard to see why this and ‘Assassinations’ (with its chiming ‘Paradise Circus’-esque melody) were the singles released.
‘Miles to Go’ follows and, despite seemingly being in danger of disappearing into drab anthemic territory (easy on the cheese), the booming chorus lifts it to a much higher echelon. Judging by the track ‘Visions,’ they’ll also start to use bass player Justin Percival’s vocals more with the harpsichord intro underpinning his coarser delivery. Played live, I can envisage the hairs on the back of my neck rising in unison when the chorus hits home. And live is where I think Stateless are best suited to excel; the rawness bursting through at the seams.
‘I’m on Fire’ is an interesting departure point on the album – a duet with Shara Worden recorded in her Brooklyn front room over a bottle of wine. For me, the oft-heard Jeff Buckley comparisons with James’ voice are a tad overplayed although Buckley’s cover of ‘Lilac Wine’ springs to mind together with the portentous nature of ‘Nightmares by the Sea.’ From here, the album really ups the cinematic ante with contemporary-classical string group, the Balanescu Quartet, appearing on ‘Ballad of NGB’ and ‘Song for the Outsider,’ the latter featuring vicious violin stabs and a solo to match the caustic bassline. ‘Junior,’ on the other hand – with its bizarre Deep South storytelling breakdown – feels oddly poised and out-of-place. Still, ‘I Shall Not Complain’ goes out guns blazing with a fuzzy distorted warble that drives the album onwards to its eerie end.
For sure then, it would be a lie to say that ‘Matilda’ lacks ideas or ambition and that deserves plaudits. That said it’s difficult to locate the thread which truly stitches the album together and weaves all its disparate musical patterns as one. And it is this that prevents the LP from being the fascinating work of enormity it sets out to be.
Words: Ben Nicholas
‘Matilda’ is out now on Ninja Tune.
