Quirky and playful, this solo album from cheeky-Britpopper
turned indie godfather is up there with his very best work. His musical palette is so varied these days,
and he seems at ease with whatever he turns his hands to, from dub-ballad
‘Press Play’ to the brilliant ukulele-led ‘Mr Tembo’ (which I utterly
adore). Probably the greatest compliment
that one can pay Everyday Robots is
to say that it is both unclassifiable and yet coherent. There’s clearly a
thread running throughout the record but I wouldn’t for the life of me be able
to tell you what it is. Each track is
different from its bedfellows but the album as a whole still feels fully
realised. There are no dud tracks here,
and this feels like a real piece of ‘work’.
Rightly Mercury Music Prize nominated, and already appearing on a number
of ‘albums of 2014’ lists, Everyday
Robots is the work of a superb musician: it shows again just how far he’s
come from his house (very big house) in the country.
sample
track: Mr Tembo