February 22, 2010

Album Review: Fun Lovin' Criminals - 'Classic Fantastic'

Fun? No. Lovin'? No. Criminal? Yes

1 / 10 Huey surnamed himself ‘DiFontaine’ when his name was really Morgan; he launched a 6Music funk show that played AC/DC; FLC once looked cool but they were shit. How does a band with so many broken promises get to release their sixth album in 14 years – let alone survive into the 2010s? ‘Classic Fantastic’ doesn’t have the answers; neither is it ‘classic’ or ‘fantastic’. It sounds like too much mid-’90s NPG/‘Exodus’-era Prince – music built on the blinkered self-belief that the outside world wants to hear the most turgid clean-toned self-indulgence imaginable. “Girls, parties, other things – yeah/Oh, what the universe brings”, Huey marvels on ‘Mars’. We also learn that he thinks Stephen Hawkins is “OK”. He should hear what Steve said about him.

Jason Draper

Click here to get your copy of Fun Lovin' Criminals' 'Classic Fantastic' from the Rough Trade shop.

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