Primal Scream - Beautiful Future

by Olga Sladeckova

published: 11 / 8 / 2008

Label: B Unique
Format: CD

intro

Poppy-sounding, excellent ninth album from the ever durable and versatile Primal Scream

The Scottish band Primal Scream signed their first record deal in 1983 with Creation Records. The record label was run by front man Bobby Gillespie's friend and fellow Glaswegian Alan McGee. 25 years, 9 albums and something around 50 singles later they are still making great music. Creation Records is now history and, after briefly settling at Sony, Primal Scream have found themselves a new home at B Unique to release their ninth album ‘Beautiful Future’. I rushed out to buy the album on the day of its release on the 25th July. I couldn’t play the music until the evening, but I certainly could unwrap the CD to get a good look at the artwork. I can’t say the artwork of ‘Beautiful Future’ is a masterpiece. It’s a close up of a person’s face in red and black colours. When you open the booklet you find similar images across another 8 pages. I must admit I’m still a little confused of their meaning but perhaps that the whole point of it. I wouldn’t, however, have wanted to be there though when the band introduced the booklet to B Unique's director and expressed their wish to have the booklet in hard paper… The album opens with the catchy tune of the title track. The song is quite poppy and very melodic. It’s definitely very easy to get into and, if you have any sense for music, to sing a long. The second track, ‘Can’t Go Back’, is also a very catchy tune, but the whole song is much faster and rougher. In the video for this song a mysterious man, whose face is never shows on the screen, murders four beautiful women and then eventually Bobby Gilliespie himself. Powerful drums kick off ‘Uptown’, a song which is about the grey life of working in the office and living just the weekend when you go out and party. “Sometimes you wonder what you doing with your life You just work, just work until you die Sometimes it feels that the only time you’re alive Is when you going out on the Saturday night in this town” The sound of the next song ‘Glory of Love’ is uplifting. With their long experience in music, Primal Scream are experts on making music rich with powerful and tuneful sounds. ‘Glory of Love’ is just a prefect example of that. ‘Suicide Bomb’ is quite a heavy song as regards to music. Drums throb throughout the whole song with edgy sounds of bass guitar cutting in and out tirelessly. ‘Over and Over’ is the slowest and kindest song on the album. The lyrics and vocals are the main focus of the song. Music is just a soft background to soft and peaceful lyrics “And I say could it be me, could it really really be over and over Could it really really be, over and over Don’t turn me away, and don’t let me down, What can I do to keep you around” In the past Primal Scream have produced many great instrumental songs. ‘Necro Kex Blues’, the second last track on the album, isn’t quite an instrumental but vocals in it are mixed into the music to feel like a regular instrument. The song can’t deny the influence of the Stone Roses which was bassist Mani’s first band. The album closes with a remix of ‘Glory of Love’. Overall, ‘Beautiful Future’ by Primal Scream is faithful to its title. The album boasts many great songs, most of which have a great poppy and melodic tune. The album is very easy to get into and impossible to get out of your head so watch out! It’s going to be a 'beautiful’ tour that Primal Scream set off with in the very near ‘Future’.

Track Listing:-

1 Beautiful Future
2 Can't Go Back
3 Uptown
4 The Glory of Love
5 Suicide Bomb
6 Zombie Man
7 Beautiful Summer
8 I Love to Hurt (You Love to Be Hurt)
9 Over & Over
10 Necro Hex Blues
11 The Glory of Love (Single Version)
12 Urban Guerrilla
13 Time of the Assassins

Have a Listen:-

live reviews

Hyde Park, London, 2/7/2006

...while Olga Sladeckova narrowly avoids dehydration during a vibrant set from support act Primal Scream

Astoria, London, 5/6/2006

Brixton Academy, London, 16/10/2004

Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, 19/8/2004

Hammersmith Apollo, London, 23/1/2004

London Brixton Academy, 7/12/2002

London Shepherd's Bush Empire, 19/6/2002

favourite album

Vanishing Point (2007)

In the latest in our Re : View seires, in which our writers reflect upon alnums from the past, Olga Sladeckova looks at Primal Scream's under-rated 1996 album, 'Vanishing Point'

Primal Scream (2002)

Screamadelica (2002)

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