Populous
Queue for Love
/morr; 2005/

 

 

 

 

  www.morrmusic.com

I was a little scared about Queue for Love. I remember listening to Populous' debut album and not really liking it, but this is much better. Half samples, half guitars, this is e-hip-hop, with Dose One singing on one track. It sometimes sounds a bit too mellow for hip hop (i really like tough beats), mainly because of all those cute sounds. Italian singer Matilde Davoli sings on a couple of tracks, she reminds me of Hope Sandoval's ethereal delivery, melting hip hop with 60s folk, turning those two songs into the album's very best moments.

The instrumental tracks -even though dose one and Davoli's contributions aren't really central- are less interesting, mainly because of that lukewarm feeling. Queue for Love is not really mind blowing technically (this is not DJ Shadow), as Populous relies too much on repetition and is a little afraid of breaks. In the end the record sounds more focused than Populous' debut, fresh and pleasing at times and a bit inconsistent at others.

-Barbara H

/may 1st 2005/