Album Review

The Longcut – Idiot Check/You Got The Love

• 4th May 2007

The Manchester three-piece are dubbed as experimental in their approach to the indie-rock genre, and this release further compounds that notion.

Their take on Candi Staton’s anthem You Got the Love is distinctively different, adding a funky and almost warped sound to the song. The track begins along an unplugged vein but once the beat fully kicks in, the Longcut fully stamp their originality all over it. The vocals seem to be subordinate to the tune itself, gradually escalating into a shout-out-loud frenzy. It is an interesting interpretation but, sometimes re-packaging old gems like this just isn’t a good idea. And as for the remix, this further dissects the song; stripping it back to the core and wrapping it back up in happy dance vibes.

Idiot Check follows along the up-tempo thread, opening with rattling percussions and drums. The vocals are somewhat muffled with the backing music coming to the forefront to the song. Eventually, the vocals dissipate, leaving behind a melodic tune – the type you could imagine driving fast to in your car. In short, a quirky set of tunes that will get you buzzing.