July 15, 2000

Ryder, Shaun & Russell Watson : Barcelona

Imagine Gaudi's Sagrada Familia cathedral covered in Manc hip-hop graffiti...

What a stunningly stupid idea. What a shockingly great record. Watson trills and twitters over a fabulously over-egged pudding of orchestral peaks and crescendos. Then the breakbeats and guitars kick in, trying not to sound too scuzzy in such classy surroundings. But then Ryder mooches into action, gurgling "the music vibrates me" and other such guff like Ali G committing well-meaning junglist assault on a precious indie princeling.

With a tune already this naff and overblown, no amount of tasteful crossover or carefully considered collaboration would have made sense - so, thankfully, Shaun and Russell have pulled out all the stops, opened the bomb doors and given the equally ludicrous original the gold-plated skunk-rock kicking it so richly deserved. The result is as gloriously bombastic as the Kid Rock record, as deliriously camp as the Macy Gray tune, ten times more pop than Ronan's wettest dreams and several galaxies more rock'n'roll than anything else reviewed here.

"Novelty" record, you say? How kind of you - it sure is, in the same way that the KLF or Barry White or Fatboy Slim or the Beasties or Queen themselves were novelty pop supremos at the height of their powers. Imagine the Royal Opera House wearing a Versace shellsuit. Imagine Gaudi's Sagrada Familia cathedral covered in Manc hip-hop graffiti. Yes, it's that good. And a jolting reminder that Salford's very own Kid Rock should get off his arse and make more "proper" records.

Stephen Dalton