Customer Reviews

London Zoo

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'London Zoo' could be the album to bring broad public awareness to the underground dubstep scene. Not that I myself feel that it's really necessary to commercialize it, but on the other hand, I am not one to whine about more people enjoying the genres signature slow, hypnotic grooves and rumbling wobble-bass lines.

Now, The Bug's interpretation of hard dub comes in a more hooky and easily digestible, jungle-like form (at least on this album), often heavily reliant on excellent guest vocalists, most notably Flowdan, Tippa Irie and Warrior Queen, and often following general song-patterns - not at all what we're used to from Rusko, Caspa, Skream, Benga, Cotti and Cluekid's 2-4 hour mixes. The tracks here are also less just about the BASS which might upset some of the more hardcore steppers, and I too feel that some heavier bass-hooks could have been beneficial for the album, as a form of introducing a more original dubstep-y feel. But as mentioned before, this album is probably intends to show a more accessible side of it all.

And after listening to dubstep on and off for about 2 years, I have to admit that it _can_ get weary with the nearly constant reliance on wobbling bass, almost any artist (I've heard) have had for the entirety of the genres existence. Even though that, of course, what was got me into it, it's lovely to hear something a little different.

And that small leaning towards a more pop-oriented audience paves the way for the tracks on 'London Zoo' to actually show something that, up to this point seemed alien to the dubstep scene: Hit potential.

Tracks lasting your average 4-6 minutes, sporting memorable choruses and danceable rhythms. The first one that comes to mind as appealing to the broad club audience is "Poison Dart" featuring Warrior Queen, as well as the hysterical rant - the album opener "Angry" with Tippa Irie.

And my personal favorite, the much remixed "Skeng", also simply have to bring some attention to 'London Zoo'. The pure awesomeness of this track is almost overwhelming. Flowdan's baritone Jamaican flow is such a pleasure to listen to backed up by a very, very! dope slow-rolling beat, it consumes you, leaving you utterly stunned - in fact, Flowdan is probably what saves the album for me. I'm not totally into the jungle-dance stuff, although on a purely objective level I admit it's well done.

All in all, I can highly recommend 'London Zoo' to folks who want to discover a lighter side of dubstep. But for a more "old-school" record, with equally manageable track lengths, check out Fabriclive.37

The Bug's first release on the Wordsound label was well wicked. He made an alternative score to the movie the Conversation. No wonder he went with the name the Bug. That movie is F$%^ked Up! London Zoo drops us right in the middle of the dubstep scene. This album sounds best in a cloud of smoke. The track that will twist your noodle is Poison Dart feat. the Warrior Queen. The Bug and Warrior Queen need to do a full-length project. Their chemistry is aggressive, yet very calming. Don't Sleeeeeep!

My wife and I listen to a lot of electronic indie pop, and we have very different standards though we both look for similar qualities of smart and exciting music. This CD was our introduction to the dubstep genre, and in fact we are not people who often gravitate towards any genre that could be considered post-reggae or related to world music. We agree on M.I.A. and Santogold, but we are not into The Clash or that whole side of punk devoted to skanking, etc.

We disagree on this album. For her it was a little too much "rastafarian shouting" but for me I was blown away. I agree with her that this vocal accent and attitude is typically indicative of a very one-dimensional sound, but in this case I feel competely different about what I heard than my wife did.

I could do without the first song and the last song, as well as the other song that had "normal singing," but in the center of the album something really awesome happens that is hard to explain. The music keeps deepening and the brooding mood of the musical compositions along with the menacing quality these masculine vocal styles is all very overwelming and quite intense no matter if you hear it on the dancefloor or in your recliner. It's dark, crude, and reasonably violent, but also extremely consistent (minus the missteps I mentioned).

I will say that the American critics tend to be very clingy to anything that seems loyal to another country or any kind of indigenous flair. Basically tribal music or anything like that is worshiped by critics. This time however they got it VERY right. This is a serious record full of carfully moded details.

It may seem with LONDON ZOO that The Bug has backed off some of the aggressiveness on PRESSURE, but don't be fooled: the digital ragga of "Angry" packs a political punch that was notably absent on the earlier album. In fact, the political aspect of LONDON ZOO gives it that more heft, even as you shake your booty. The production is much more clean, as well; the wobbly bass on "Skeng" doesn't overwhelm the track and the dissonant horns on "Too Much Pain" seem to work in the with theme of the lyrics. The noisiness returns on "Jah War," crisp and sharp with its clear digital blips. But The Bug also excels at creating atmospheres, whether it's slow "You And Me," with a creeping menace that quickly gets under your skin, or the spookiness of "Freak Freak" or the dark thuds of "Judgement." But my favorite vocalist, Warrior Queen, brings it on "Insane," which gets the dancehall groove going and doesn't let up, and also on the grimy grind of "Poison Dart." It's a zoo you want to visit again and again... as long as the animals don't get out.

The sound engineered by the Bug on this collection certainly didn't resonate with me at first, but after multiple listens, the many layers of complexity gradually softened up my ears and now just keep calling me back. Very interesting stuff.

Where do I start? I was late in the game with dubstep, earlier in '08 I acquired The Bug's "Jah War" 12'" on Ninja tune, after I downloaded it for free on a blog (note to artists, I actually buy the stuff on vinyl that I like and get for free on blogs, but I digress). Jah War blew me away instantly, massive dirty bass, deep dubbed out atmospherics and Flowdan's menacingly savage delievery hooked me from the first note.

So I go into my local record store last week and to my astonishment (I live in Ohio afterall) see The Bug's "London Zoo" 3LP set, it was costly, so I re-shelved some other selections and splurged. It is worth every penny, while not every track is a flat-out masterpiece, there are at least 6 tracks that are absolutely phenominal. For me the track that rises above is the Warrior Queen track, she absolutely dominates the vocal on "Poisen Dart", riding one of the illest, deepest dubstep riddims I have ever heard. Her delievery is so urgent and committed that it is impossible not to be completely entranced by the track. Other standout tracks include "Angry" featuring Tippa Irie, "Skeng" with Flowdan doing it again, "Freak Freak" (killer instrumental), "Judgement" featuring Ricky Ranking, and of course "Jah War".

The music on this release is no joke, it is heavy and urgent, not for the weakhearted or the war-mongers.

Dubstep has reinvogorated my passion for new sounds and I hope it catches on in America (although I doubt it will).