Everybody knows I've got a soft spot for the lovely Drew McConnell, Shambles' bassman. Yeah, I love his personality, his voice and his eyes, but's that's got nothing to do with the fact that I'm expecting a lot from his last side project "Mongrel". First of all, McClure is a terribly sound bloke too, and in any case I'm up for anything described as "horrible, dirty, greasy funk thing". Read this interview from the last NME issue...
"Mongrel, the supergroup featuring Arctic Monkey's Matt Helders and former Monkey Andy Nicholson, Babyshambles' Drew McConnell, Reverend and the Makers' Jon McClure and Joe Moskow, plus rapper Lowkey, have given NME an exclusive album update from the studio.
The collective explained that their debut album has been mixed by Primal Scream and Depeche Mode producer Adrian Sherwood and is scheduled to be released late October. It is set to be named "Better Than Heavy" after a Mongrel song title. Tracks include "Lies", "Guess who's coming home?", "The Menace", "Off the leash", "Barcode", "Julian" and "Alphabet".
The band were set to air the tracks live at three UK and Ireland shows in November, but have since postponed the dates due to scheduled clashes. They do, however, promise the gigs will be rescheduled.
The group members said the album was influenced by dub and hip-hop - a product of their listening tastes. "It's us playing the kind of music we listen to" Helders told NME "We grew up listening to hip-hop, I liked it before I liked rock music". The drummer's former bandmate, bassist Nicholson, agreed. "That's what we'd listen to when we were 13 and smoking weed - things like Dr Dre" he said.
McConnell warned people not to expect anything similar to the band members' day-job indie groups. "There's a big funk thing [on the album]" he explained "It's dominated by Joe's keyboard parts, and Matt and Andy have a horrible, dirty, greasy funk thing happening".
As well as the core members, the band recruited Saul Williams to add vocals to "Barcode". They also signed up a slew of British rappers to appear on "Alphabet", which features one rapper for every letter in the alphabet. Skinnyman has laid down rhymes on the tune, while McConnell was partcularly enamoured of east London rapper Purple's contribution. "He's fucking bad-ass" the Shambles bassist, who plays guitar on Mongrel's album, gushed. "I was doing this guitar part when I heard this voice rapping 'Fuck Lil Wayne!'. Then he continued rapping in this incredible style... I thought he was so amazing for such a young talent".
The Rev added he hoped the album would propel the rappers - largely unknown beyond the London hip-hop scene - into the mainstream. "If I could get 20 lads and lasses from London ghettos on to the coffee tables of the middle-classes and make them realise what the fuck really happens in the country, I'll be a happy man" he said.
The Rev - who is still adamant he will step down from music next year - described the release as a "fucking rebel album" adding that lyrical themes would include the Iraq war and government oppression. "When was the last rebel album made?" he asked. "Was it Rage Against The Machine or Public Enemy? Nobody's made anything [rebellious] since".
The collective explained that their debut album has been mixed by Primal Scream and Depeche Mode producer Adrian Sherwood and is scheduled to be released late October. It is set to be named "Better Than Heavy" after a Mongrel song title. Tracks include "Lies", "Guess who's coming home?", "The Menace", "Off the leash", "Barcode", "Julian" and "Alphabet".
The band were set to air the tracks live at three UK and Ireland shows in November, but have since postponed the dates due to scheduled clashes. They do, however, promise the gigs will be rescheduled.
The group members said the album was influenced by dub and hip-hop - a product of their listening tastes. "It's us playing the kind of music we listen to" Helders told NME "We grew up listening to hip-hop, I liked it before I liked rock music". The drummer's former bandmate, bassist Nicholson, agreed. "That's what we'd listen to when we were 13 and smoking weed - things like Dr Dre" he said.
McConnell warned people not to expect anything similar to the band members' day-job indie groups. "There's a big funk thing [on the album]" he explained "It's dominated by Joe's keyboard parts, and Matt and Andy have a horrible, dirty, greasy funk thing happening".
As well as the core members, the band recruited Saul Williams to add vocals to "Barcode". They also signed up a slew of British rappers to appear on "Alphabet", which features one rapper for every letter in the alphabet. Skinnyman has laid down rhymes on the tune, while McConnell was partcularly enamoured of east London rapper Purple's contribution. "He's fucking bad-ass" the Shambles bassist, who plays guitar on Mongrel's album, gushed. "I was doing this guitar part when I heard this voice rapping 'Fuck Lil Wayne!'. Then he continued rapping in this incredible style... I thought he was so amazing for such a young talent".
The Rev added he hoped the album would propel the rappers - largely unknown beyond the London hip-hop scene - into the mainstream. "If I could get 20 lads and lasses from London ghettos on to the coffee tables of the middle-classes and make them realise what the fuck really happens in the country, I'll be a happy man" he said.
The Rev - who is still adamant he will step down from music next year - described the release as a "fucking rebel album" adding that lyrical themes would include the Iraq war and government oppression. "When was the last rebel album made?" he asked. "Was it Rage Against The Machine or Public Enemy? Nobody's made anything [rebellious] since".
1 comment:
the Menace http://www.sendspace.com/file/2tdaby
hit From the Morning sun http://www.zshare.net/audio/50620686163ad8c5/
here is two mongrel tracks
dan
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