Search - Morcheeba :: Who Can You Trust?

Hypnotic, Trippy, Quiet, and Beatiful

Chris Tringali | Quincy, MA USA | 09/11/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard Morcheeba's "Tape Loop" on one of my chill-out mixes a long time ago. But when I stopped listening to the mix after a few weeks, I sadly forgot all about them. However, after a four-year hiatus, I gave Morcheeba a second listen (quite by accident) a few weeks ago while on vacation with some friends. One of our group had brought with him this CD, on which I was immediately hooked.Morcheeba's debut album is hypnotic, trippy, quiet, and beautiful. The CD provides excellent backgroud chillout music. Comparable to Massive Attack and Portishead, Morcheeba features a whispery, female lead singer (Skye Edwards) and a host of electronic, ambient grooves. Starting with "Moog Island" the CD quickly sets the quiet and hypnotic tone with Skye's haunting voice and deep, calm baselines. The disc continues in a similar fashion with "Trigger Hippie," before breaking into the basy, quiet instrumental interlude of "Post Humous." Next is "Tape Loop," which was just as cool as I had remembered it to be.The trippy ambience continues flawlessly until it is interupted by the down-home sounds of "Enjoy the Wait," the minute-long eighth track on the set. It may take a few times, but it's subtle electronic wave in the background just might catch your ear and change your uneasy reaction for the better. The next track, the quiet and powerful "Col" featuring Skye's voice at it's whispery best, starts the experience all over agian and it continues perfectly through the end of the CD.This has become one of my favorite chillout CDs. It's mellow all the way through and is the perfect CD to listen to at the end of a long day, or for sitting outside with a frosty beverage trying to forget your cares. Highly recommened to anyone who needs to relax."

Breezy, but a brilliant album for tripping to!

Nick Lambert | London UK | 07/17/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Like most people, I was aware of Morcheeba for a long time, but dismissed them as a wannabe Portishead at the time. It was only with the brilliant 'Big Calm' that my perceptions changed. I went back to this album, their first, and while it was not as instant as 'big calm', there is much to savour. Opening with the magical 'Moog Island', (which I was already familiar with thanks to its inclusion on 'Big Calm' as a bonus track) the pace and stlye for the album is set. Slow grooving with lush keyboards, light cymbals and funky guitars, it serves as a good indicator for the rest of the album. Skye's voice is gorgeous, and she sings in a deep and soothing tone. It perfectly complements the musical background she sings over. 'Trigger Hippie', the hit single, is a bit more upbeat, and it's use of slide guitar as well as scratching provides an interesting backgound for Skye's catchy vocal. There are many short bursts of instumentals on the album, such as the funky 'Post Houmous', or the 'End Theme' which reprises parts of Moog Island at a faster pace. But my favourite track is the beautiful 'Howling'. The introduction of a string quartet seems to help Morcheeba realise the whole extent of their talent (it was this that made Big Calm so brilliant) and the song is an epic, helped by Skye's growlsome vocal. The only problem with the album is that I feel it is a bit overlong, and editing would have helped. Most of the tracks are brilliant, but they are sometimes a bit forgettable as the album is so long. If you liked Big Calm, then this is a worthy purchase, and it is interesting to hear the roots of Big Calm's unusual sound."

Cups your soul in gentle hands

Jason Green | London, United Kingdom | 01/10/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'll come straight to the point. This album is captivating. Expect to slow right down. Allow your mind to wander. Think of a cool breeze, a gentle tide, a fox catching your eye then looking away. Sip a cool drink. Think of your favourite person. Smile at them.It begins, and it ends, with the most tender female vocals. Apparently her name is Skye Edwards. She rides harmonies, melodies, tempos, trills, scratches, beats and the deepest, darkest rhythms. You could be on a boat at night, being rocked by the tide. The engine is apparently the Godfrey brothers. One beautiful song starts as soon as the previous one ends. The album is a consistent whole with so many moving parts. How many albums can you buy today where no song disappoints?Buy this one. Dim the lights. Press play. Close your eyes. Go someplace else.(P.S. For those of you who loved Big Calm and could not understand how Fragments of Freedom could have gone so badly wrong, it is time for the prequel. Who Can You Trust is cool and is rhythmic. Relative to Big Calm, it is later at night. Ignore Fragments of Freedom. There is no comparison.)"