James Lavelle and
DJ Shadow are unequal partners in
UNKLE, with the former providing the concept and the latter providing music, which naturally overshadows the concept, since the only clear concept -- apart from futuristic sound effects, video-game samples, and merging trip-hop with rock -- is collaborating with a variety of musicians, from superstars to cult favorites
Kool G Rap, Alice Temple, and
Mark Hollis (who provides uncredited piano on "Chaos"). Since
Shadow's prime gift is for instrumentals, the prospect of him collaborating with vocalists is more intriguing than enticing, and
Psyence Fiction is appropriately divided between brilliance and failed experiments.
Shadow and Lavelle aren't breaking new territory here -- beneath the harder rock edge, full-fledged songs, and occasional melodicism, the album stays on the course Endtroducing... set.
Shadow isn't given room to run wild with his soundscapes, and only a couple of cuts, such as the explosive opener, "Guns Blazing," equal the sonic collages of his debut. Initially, that may be a disappointment, but
UNKLE gains momentum on repeated listens. Portions of the record still sound a little awkward -- Mike D's contribution suffers primarily from recycled Hello Nasty rhyme schemes -- yet those moments are overshadowed by
Shadow's imagination and unpredictable highlights, such as Temple's chilly "Bloodstain" or
Badly Drawn Boy's claustrophobic "Nursery Rhyme," as well as the masterstrokes fronted by
Richard Ashcroft (a sweeping, neo-symphonic "Lonely Soul") and
Thom Yorke (the moody "Rabbit in Your Headlights"). These moments might not add up to an overpowering record, but in some ways
Psyence Fiction is something better -- a superstar project that doesn't play it safe and actually has its share of rich, rewarding music. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
