January 7, 2003
The Free Association : (I Wish I Had A) Wooden Heart
...quite good in a torchy, bohemian way...
Not so long ago, The Free Association's blend of part-baked psychedelia and cranky soul would've been securely categorised as trip-hop. Nowadays we’re far too respectful of David Holmes' imperishable cool to nail his band as that kind of throwback. Nevertheless, '(I Wish I Had A) Wooden Heart' sounds likeMorcheeba, albeit Morcheeba
with a nosebleed and some Bad Friends hanging around in the wings: quite good in a torchy, bohemian way, thanks to Petra Jean Phillipson's raddled Billie Holiday routine. Also, it makes you wonder whether Tricky's old sparring partner Martine Topley-Bird will ever release that solo record she's been promising for the best part of a decade.
John Mulvey
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