Skins OST
Review by Jack Foley
FOR MOST people, hit Channel 4 series Skins will be synonymous with its signature tune – Gossip’s Standing In The Way Of Control. Incredibly, it’s not the theme tune, rather the key track that Channel 4’s producers chose to push it with.
It proved a savvy choice, igniting the career of Beth Ditto and giving the show a cult following as it told its tales of drug-fuelled parties, drinking, smoking, shagging and bad language with a cast that included that kid from About A Boy.
Given the hedonism on display throughout, it goes without saying that the accompanying soundtrack should be filled with killer tunes capable of appealing to the generation it sought to entice. And there are some killer tunes here from some of the best – and not always most obvious – bands of the moment.
Rather, the Polydor label has assembled a lively collection of cool bands – some of whom are well known, others who will certainly become so as a result of their exposure on this.
Gossip’s track is on there, of course, immediately after Julian Ronnie’s suitably provocative theme tune (which comes alive amid a flurry of interwoven beats and synths). But it’s in the form of a Soulwax remix, just to keep things fresh (because let’s face it, you’ve probably already got it in your record collection already in original, overplayed form).
But other firm highlights come in the form of Bloc Party’s foot-stomping Positive Tension (from their Silent Alarm LP) and New York faves the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s heady Date With The Night (from Forever To Tell).
There’s some ’80s nostalgia courtesy of Adam & The Ants’ Prince Charming, which still somehow sounds cool in spite of the “aagh, hah, aaagh” wailing at the start, and a little urban attitude from Roots Manuva, courtesy of the monotonous Witness The Fitness (one of the worst tracks on the album).
But of the tracks really worth checking out, The Earlies bring some welcome balance (and a small dose of beauty) with their fragile Kelly Brown, DJ Shadow comes over all moody and magnificent with his epic, beat-laden Mongrel Meets His Maker, and Tricky drops some dreamy, spooky ambience with Hell Around The Corner (which samples Portishead).
Broken Family Band display their keen ear for melody with the rather lovely It’s All Over, Brian Jonestown Massacre deliver the hazy gem that is You Look Great When I’m High and The Hives pump up the hedonism to headrush effect with No Pun Intended.
Some tracks fade from the memory rather quickly or have you reaching for the skip button but on the whole this is an impressive collection of records that work well with each other whether you’ve seen the show or not. Who knows, it may even make you aware of some rather cool bands that you never knew existed (the mark of any good compilation album)!
Download picks: Standing In The Way Of Control, Skins Theme Tune, Kelly Brown, Prince Charming, It’s All Over, Mongrel Meets His Maker, Hell Around The Corner, You Look Great When I’m High
Track listing:
Really good
Kath Sep 12 #