- Artist: Moloko
- Title: Catalogue
- Label: Echo
- Release date: 7.11.06
click to download CD cover- Track Listing:
- 1 Time Is Now
- 2 Sing It Back: (stream)
- 3 Fun For Me?
- 4 Familiar Feelings
- 5 Pure Pleasure Seeker: Steam
- 6 Cannot Contain This
- 7 Bankrupt Emotionally
- 8 Day For Night
- 9 Indigo
- 10 The Flipside
- 11 Where Is The What If The What Is In Why?
- 12 Forever More
- 13 Statues: (stream) | (download)
Singin’ It Back… A Re-Introduction to Moloko
For a band that started as the result of a weak pick-up line, Moloko finished pretty strong. Three UK Top 10 singles, four more UK Top 40 singles, a decade-long career and kudos from celebrated producers Todd Terry, Matthew Herbert, Luke Vibert and Dan the Automator all attest to Moloko’s stature as one of the finest dance pop outfits ever produced by our hip neighbors across the pond.
As the story goes, Dublin-born songstress Roisin Murphy met Sheffield-based music producer Mark Brydon at a house party in 1994. She approached him and asked, “Do you like my tight sweater?” Thus began not only their romance, but a musical collaboration as well. At the time, Roisin had yet to sing as a serious performer, and aspired to be the next Kim Deal or Kim Gordon. Meanwhile, Mark was a founding member of the legendary FON studios, where classic recordings by Boy George, Pulp, and Cabaret Voltaire were produced. Also known as DJ Plankton, Mark already had 2 major UK club hits under his belt – Krush’s seminal dance track “House Arrest” and an Eric B. & Rakim remix.
Moloko’s manifesto came in the form of their first single, "Where Is the What If the What Is In the Why?", which instantly caught the attention of an audience beyond the dance clubs. Their full-length debut, fondly titled “Do You Like My Tight Sweater?” followed in 1995. Released by The Echo Label, it proceeded to sell over 250,000 units worldwide, even though it was quite ahead of its time. Mark’s warped mix of funk and house elements blended perfectly with Roisin’s sensual vocals and wicked humor. The duo quickly became associated with groups like Massive Attack, Morcheeba and Portishead from the burgeoning Bristol scene who together fashioned a genre known today as Trip Hop.
However, the duo insists this was not an accurate categorization, and that it occurred primarily due to Moloko’s format of girl, boy, and computer. Yet, Moloko’s second album, 1998’s “I Am Not A Doctor” (Echo) could have fooled anyone in this regard as it was a considerably darker affair altogether. Buried within the moody soundscapes, weird beats and sultry sarcasm, was “Sing It Back”, a deliciously commercial pop song over the backdrop of a classic house beat augmented with a funky rhythm guitar lick, not to mention a Santana-esque guitar solo. When it was remixed, without prior solicitation, by DJ/producer Boris Dlugosch, it became the toast of Ibiza, and subsequently an international hit. The single sold over 500,000 copies, appeared in over 100 compilations, and came to be recognized as Moloko’s signature sound.
After extensive touring on the festival circuit including a storming Glastonbury concert alongside Roni Size and Groove Armada, Moloko returned to the studio to create 2000’s “Things To Make And Do” (Echo). This album boasted a warmer, organic feel that attempted to integrate the band’s live performance with their established studio sound. “Time Is Now”, a soulful number lead by a strumming acoustic guitar and searing violins was an irresistible smash hit in the U.K. “Pure Pleasure Seeker”, the second single, found itself in more common Moloko territory with a slamming hard drum track driven by horns blasting out what could have been a hard rock riff.
Unfortunately, Moloko’s fourth and final album, “Statues” (Echo, 2003), was the first time that Roisin and Mark made music as friends rather than lovers. As Moloko’s final testament, “Statues” is its most definitive and determined sonic statement. The singles - “Familiar Feeling”, “Forever More” and the title track - are all celebratory compositions designed to spur surging, propulsive emotions, recalling the frenzied build-up to 3a.m. that every dancehall junkie knows all too well. Despite the critical acclaim, after a brief U.K. tour in support of the album, Roisin and Mark went their separate ways. Roisin is pursuing a longer career as an eclectic, electric diva; meanwhile, Mark has been laying low and is rumored to be immersing his energies in designing a new recording studio.
The last thing you need to know about this band may perhaps be the most important for closure to the saga of Moloko. The act’s name is an obscure reference to “A Clockwork Orange”. “Moloko” means “milk”, in a Russian dialect, Milk, like Moloko’s music, not only strengthens your bones, but tastes good too. Summer’s here and it’s hot outside, so drink up your White Russians, and get set to dance.