UNKLE – End Titles…Stories For Film

• 8th Aug 2008

Described by James Lavelle as ‘not a new album in the usual sense”, this is a 22 track collection of works inspired by Unkle’s contribution to audio-visual pieces, which have ranged from film to television to video games. The downside of this is you’ll spend most of the time trying to work out where you’ve heard each track as most are very familiar but not instantly placeable.

The tracks come from different time periods and there’s quite a variation in style, although all hold an ethereal and otherworldly feel. Quality is very good overall (as you would expect from Unkle). Notable collaborations include Chemical featuring Josh Homme (of Queens fame) and Clouds with Black Mountain.

The album suffers slightly from being a little too busy and could easily loose 3 or 4 tracks. There are some truly great tracks on this album (the reworking of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony is sublime) but their greatness is dimmed slightly by a few average inclusions. With a bit of trimming End titles… could have been a stunning album. As it is it’s just a great collection.