War Stories

U.N.K.L.E. | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 24, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: surrender all
• ASIN: B000RHRGNA
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,849 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #25 in Music > Dance & DJ > Trip-Hop
  • #32 in Music > Dance & DJ > Ambient

Editorial Reviews

In Late 1998, what could only be described as an aural-visual collective known as UNKLE burst into the millennium-turning landscape. UNKLE was armed with a thunderous new breed 'electronica/trip-hop' album (Psyence Fiction), eye-catching videos and packaging, and an enigmatic but convincing approach to melding the technological revolution that was just on the precipice of affecting how we lived and breathed culture. Psyence Fiction went on to sell over 150,000 copies in the US, and one million plus world-wide, driven by the "Rabbit In Your Headlights" collaboration with Radiohead's Thom Yorke. The result was the launching of an artist collective headed by James Lavelle which has morphed into a clothing line, remix music house and media production center. On UNKLE's third full album WAR STORIES (the follow-up to 2004's US release of Never Never Land), this musical collective branches into a world altered and changed since its introduction nearly a decade ago. Pumping with a muscular drive while embellishing UNKLE's trademark psyche-driven sounds and tales, WAR STORIES is a rock album of pulsing depth. Big Festival Rock For The Dance Tent. Recorded in the Rancho De La Luna studios with desert maestro/producer Chris Goss (the same combo behind Queens Of The Stone Age, The Desert Sessions and Masters Of Reality), UNKLE's WAR STORIES sees a cadre of strafing voices add character and personality to Lavelle's thumping songs, while Lavelle himself steps to the mic to deliver his first genuine singing efforts of UNKLE's career. The recent years remixing artists as varied as QOTSA, Massive Attack, Metallica, Depeche Mode & Robert Plant comes through as the songs cram hard, stoner rock with thumping rhythms, not into lazy mash-up form, but into crisp, intoxicating rock-electronica hybrids that could live famously in either setting. With known vocal guests like Josh Homme (QOTSA), Ian Astbury (The Cult) and 3D (Massive Attack, also WAR STORIES' visual mastermind) lending their weighty, familiar voices and relative newcomers like The Duke Spirit, Autolux and Clayhill's soulful Gavin Clark countering with a delicious freshness, WAR STORIES becomes a true album of sides: crafty, mind's eye tales versus emotional breakdown. And anchoring these factions is Lavelle's effortless contributions on "Hold My Hand" & "Morning Rage", songs which place Lavelle as guide to the various paths and alleys WAR STORIES carries the listener.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Yet, August 15, 2007

By 

Fd Marshall Moore (Washington D.C.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: War Stories (Audio CD)

The third proper release from UNKLE shows Lavelle departing from his previous aesthetic and moving toward a more "rock"-oriented sound. After a good few weeks of listens, I think Lavelle has reached rarefied air with War Stories. War Stories was painstakingly crafted in the studio, yet the recording sounds effortless, almost inevitable. The tracks gain momentum as the record proceeds. The blending of electronica and rock feels unstudied, and I think gels even better than his work with PF and NNL (no hate mail please). No question War Stories is a different album than its predecessors, but no doubt a progression in both production and songcraft. Several contributors lend their pipes, and there is not a single misstep. And notably, it is a genuine pleasure to hear Ian Astbury, especially for those of us who have been starved for something from him for years. Any fan of UNKLE's previous albums probably has a taste that spans both rock and electronica--War Stories is well worth your time. Best UNKLE album in my book. Consistent from beginning to end.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rock on, August 31, 2007

By 

Daggers "Daggers" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: War Stories (Audio CD)

I find it hard to see why some reviewers have characterised this as bland or unoriginal. From first listen it was clearly an UNKLE record - slow melodic intros followed by discordant guitars and thumping drums or electro bass sounds. Not the classic that NEVERNEVERLAND was, but how could anything match the brilliance of that album? What you get is a great collection of electronic infused rock songs that blows most of the current indie competition away. This is not a singalong album, but a pulsating mix of atmospheric rock tunes that should be played in the evening and enjoyed with a glass of good wine.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites of 2007!, November 27, 2007

By 

David Parker (burlington, vermont United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: War Stories (Audio CD)

First off, I am quite new to the world of UNKLE, having only recently discovered their first two albums while searching for music that might be similar to Massive Attack. So...no preconceived notions about the new album when it came out. To longtime fans (and two albums is barely "long time"), it may come as a disappointment, but to a newbie like myself, always on the hunt for something new and exciting in the increasingly tired world of "rock" music, I just found this to be an exciting, unpredictable, and highly original group of songs that almost re-defines what "rock" can be. Sonically cool, with songs that range from trippy to rocking and everything in between (even the non-album bonus tracks are excellent), I think this is one of the best albums I've heard this year. Everything is sounding the same now, folks! Give credit where credit is due!