published: 11 /
9 /
2011
Label:
Strange Records
Format: CD
Hugely enjoyable electro-disco on self-titled debut album from Penguin Prison, the project of remix artist Chris Glover
Review
Penguin Prison is Chris Glover, serial remixer, and his first album, the self-titled 'Penguin Prison', is a joyous thing. Recorded between London and New York, the influences of both cities’ club scenes are evident across the eleven tracks of this impressive debut. A true electro-disco album, hints of Prince, Michael Jackson, and Peter Gabriel mix with more contemporary dance artists such as Mylo and deadmau5 to create a blend that is as listenable as it is danceable.
Opening track 'Don’t Fuck with My Money' has a funky six-note loop, over which is layered orchestral hits, a terrific lead vocal and great disco-style backing vocals. The track is catchy simplicity itself, and massively infectious.
Lead single 'Fair Warning' sounds like a Pet Shop Boys backing track and refrain, with a great lyric and a whole side order of disco cheese thrown into the mix. It’s immensely good fun, a great track with a great beat, and would fit comfortably on any DJ’s playlist.
The Michael Jackson influence extends to the vocal on 'Golden Train', one of the slower tracks on the album. While not as toe-tapping as its neighbours, it is nonetheless a funky, catchy exercise in pure pop.
The album progresses steadily from disco to funk to pop and back again, and the whole mood is one of celebration. This is most definitely music for the dance floor, but its sheer quality means that it would be equally at suited to the casual home-listener.
Chris Glover’s sound is a distillation of what sounds like years of research, and songs like 'Golden Train' are a music-lover’s paradise – it’s like an exercise in spotting influences, from the Style Council-esque opening bars to the Earth Wind and Fire style middle eight.
I had a great time listening to this album – my foot scarcely stopped tapping from the opening bars of 'Don’t Fuck with My Money' through the David Byrne strains of 'Something I’m Not'; via the Nintendo game scored 'Desert Cold' to the slightly incongruous straight-pop of the album’s closing track 'Someone’s Got Everything'. This is a hugely enjoyable album, with real quality shining out on every track – an absolute pleasure to listen to.
Track Listing:-
1
Don't Fuck With My Money
2
A Funny Thing
3
Golden Train
4
Multi-Millionaire
5
Something I'm Not
6
The Worse It Gets
7
Fair Warning
8
Desert Cold
9
Pinocchio
10
In The Way
11
Someone Got Everything