Search - Ursula 1000 :: Here Comes Tomorrow

YIKES!

bowery boy | seattle | 05/08/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I must warn every Ursula1000 fan out there who dug the cool, kitschy, retro lounge sounds of Ursula's Kinda Kinky, A Go Go or The Now Sound that they're in for a shock with Here Comes Tomorrow. Alex Gimeno, the mastermind behind Ursula1000, has decided this time around to try his hand at actual "songs" recruiting a bevy of guest artists to supply the vocals. It's understandable that after awhile artists want to branch out from the style that made them popular, but unlike Royskopp's successful transition from instrumental electronica to straight forward dance pop on The Understanding, Ursula1000 fails miserably with this attempt.



Gone are the laugh-out-loud samples from 50s and 60s movies and instructional tapes. Gone are the wonderfully catchy lounge beats. Instead we get a hodgepodge of styles from disco to electro to glam rock. The worst offenders are Hello, Let's Go To A Disco which, with it's annoying male vocals and loud abrasive electric guitar, doesn't seem to fit what we normally would expect from an Ursula1ooo release. Urgent/Anxious is about five minutes of some bubble gum pop singer saying Urgent, Anxious over and over again backed by an equally annoying and cheesy dance beat. Ragnarock tries to recapture that East India flair of tracks like That Hindu That You Do and Mr. Hrundi's Holiday. Whereas the sitars and beats fused perfectly together on those tracks, they fall flat and are annoying on this track.



Not to say that there aren't some typical Ursula-like tracks on here. Kaboom! opens the disc promisingly enough with Japanese singer Uzumi saying wacky things like "Swish! Bam! Kaboom! But wait, there's more," over a melange of loungey beats that we have grown to expect from Ursula. Got Cha follows the same familiar vein of Ursula's cha-cha infused tracks like Beatbox ChaCha or Mambo 1000. Descaraga En La Discoteca is a hyper Latin tinged track that takes what we usually expect from Ursula and moves it farther out into the unknown. This track is what I was expecting Here Comes Tomorrow to be like. I must say I'm a bit disappointed with this release, the first time ever with any Ursula1000 release. It would have been better had Alex released this under a side project pseudonym instead of under Ursula1000.



"

Freewheelin' and stylin'

Enrique Torres | San Diegotitlan, Califas | 04/04/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Let me begin with the title track, which is actually the last track to say that this disc offers instant accessability in a comfort zone where martinis and plush comfy couches mesh and beckon your weary feet. "Here Comes Tommorrow" features the vocal stylings of Robert Conroy who sounds like a dead ringer for that space oddity David Bowie. Imagine twangy guitars that sound like they are being heard through a hollow metallic tube followed by a soaring trumpet introduction fitting of the beginnings of an ancient Spanish dance of death between man and animal that reveals a brooding Bowieesque number that is as simple and as compellng as the title itself. There is a certain mysterious ominous tone to the tile track that is very different from the qurky uptempo in your face dance themes throughout the disc. Somehow it says the party is over. But lets start from the beginning. "Kaboom" kicks off the jams for the beginning of an energetic ride on this disc that is a nostalgic reconstructed jet ride." Hello Let's Go to Disco" continues the musical dance beats with drum snippets that sound like Gary Glitters anthemic (you know its played in every stadium,da,da,da, dah,HEY!) "Rock and Roll" and the glam vocal s of Dougee Dimensional that once again reminds me of that Aladin Sane fellow. There is something for everyone on this disc including several Latin tinged numbers like the catchy "Got Cha" complete with Perez Pradoesque mambo grunts that mix well with the synths and electronic elements, the superbly hip electro Latin sounds of Los Amigos Invicibles lend their talents to "Descarga En La Discoteca" to create a nice mix that could be played in a club in London , New York or Buenos Aires. Keeping on the Latin side but if jazzy Brasileno music is more to your tastes than you'll love "Arrastao" which features vocals by Kojak intermixed with Barbara De Dominicis for a smooth innovative blend of hip hop, samba and jazz. The world party continues with an Eastern flair on "Ragnarock" that features sitars and laid back chill out exotic electro grooves by that one man music machine Alex Gimeno aka Ursula 1000. There is even a bit of rock steady ska revived in the song "Two Tone Rocka" complete with old school horns and a mean two tone beat. Two other songs worth mentioning are "Electrik Bogie" wear if you closed your eyes you can imagine Prince or whatever sign he is known by now strutting his stuff and singing the song. This particular song has the feel and sound of the CD "1999." One of my absoulutely favorite songs is the heavy on the dance beat "Boop"that once again features Barbara De Dominicis, this time doing some really cool scat that mixes well with the jazzy horns. This is one of those numbers that gets everyone on their feet because of the energy and wacky flavor, you just have to be a part of the song, no passive participation allowed. This disc is all over the map but the common thread is hot rousing fun, danceable grooves that excite with their playful construction. A great disc to play to liven things up for your next get together, at times campy but always entertaining. Recommended and guaranteed to make your friends come to life again. The time is now for "Here Comes Tommorrow.""

Great driving music

Andrew C. Berg | Seattle, WA USA | 07/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I used to listen to punk and heavy metal while on road trips. Then I got married and had some kids. Sadly, none of the rest of them like to listen to punk or heavy metal. But fortunately I found URSULA! On a recent road trip, we must have listened to this CD about 10 times in a row. It got a little old in places (there was one track that we'd skip each time it came up), but you'll find that with anything. I give it a hearty two thumbs up!"