Album Review

Skunk Anansie – Wonderlustre

• 11th Sep 2010

“Skunk Anansie?! Do they still exist?” seems to be the resounding response when ever their new revival album, Wonderlustre is mentioned. Well, they most certainly do, and after listening to Wonderlustre for the first time, I really couldn’t be happier.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this album is how comfortable it feels in its own ‘Skin’. It is rare notonly for a band to make a magnificent comeback after such a long absence, but to find themselves equally, if not more secure than they were before their break up. This is precisely the case with Skunk Anansie, who never fail to impress with their genuinely powerful vocals, gritty guitar riffs and generally appealing flavour.

Vocalist Skin’s mighty windpipes are as sharp as a whip, and if anything the time off from performing has given her a new, explosive lease of life: songs like ‘Over the Love’ show her off to her full potential, and her vocal range, both tonally and emotionally, is nothing short of stunning. Each song tells a different story, and whilst stylistically Skunk Anansie do pretty much pick up where they left off in 2001, there are some more pop-ish numbers, notably ‘You Can’t Always Do what you Like’ and ‘You’re too Expensive for Me’ (which incidentally has a wonderfully modern sound, not unlike a more grounded Lily Allen,) taking full advantage of this regeneration to entice some new fans who are perhaps unfamiliar with Skunk Anansie’s earlier releases.

The overall attitude of Wonderlustre is of maturity, control and independence. No single element of the music is afraid to make itself known, with some songs even possessing a sense of urgency in conveying their message, particularly the lively yet slightly sinister ‘It Doesn’t Matter’ and the single release, ‘My Ugly Boy’, impressive for its balance of strength and tenderness.

Technically, this album is nothing but infallible, with some dips into contrasting genres going down a treat: the album’s opener, ‘God Loves Only You’ has a definite bossa nova vibe, delightfully integrated with that unmistakable Skunk Anansie-style edginess we were so hoping to hear from Wonderlustre, and which doesn’t disappoint.

And so a hearty “congratulations” to the band, who in true Phoenix style have risen from the ashes to bring us an album as stunning, musically sublime and ever-rich in attitude as could ever have been hoped for and expected.