No Roots [Enhanced]

Faithless

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 20, 2004)
• Original Release Date: June 29, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Arista
• ASIN: B0002I92J0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #108,495 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Intro

2. Mass Destruction

3. I Want More, Pt. 1

4. I Want More, Pt. 2

5. Love Lives on My Street

6. Bluegrass

7. Sweep

8. Miss U Less, See U More

9. No Roots

10. Swingers

11. Pastoral

12. Everything Will Be Alright Tomorrow

13. What About Love

14. In the End

15. Mass Destruction [P*nut & Sister Bliss Mix]

16. Mass Destruction [Multimedia Track]

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

After a decade as one of the world's most successful dance acts, Faithless's distinct sound has put them at risk of becoming dinosaurs. Thankfully No Roots doesn't rest on the laurels of former glory and delivers something quite special. Sister Bliss's shrill, semi-hard-house synth stabs are all but gone, replaced by less dated sounds and more thoughtful use of them. Tempos are lower and song structure plays a more valuable part, for No Roots is in fact only two gigantic, epic songs, with each track a progression on the previous one and clever segues leading into the next. The only song that doesn't fall into "Parts 1 & 2" is the lead single version of "Mass Destruction" tacked on the end; it's a funky, breaks-based tune with Maxi Jazz's trademark vocal (used sparingly throughout the album) over live bass and guitars.

Anyone who's seen Faithless live knows how they can jam around their back catalog, making medleys and breakdowns of epic proportions: No Roots is a studio realization of that. Highlighted by "I Want More," downbeat tunes build until their climax when an uptempo number will kick in. "Sweep" is simply a 909 drum and percussion loop with synth flourishes that drops into "Miss U Less, See U More," a classic house tune that closes part one of the album. Something other than a collection of hands-in-the-air floor-fillers and downbeat songs to chill out to, No Roots should be listened to in its entirety. It's a cohesive body of work that builds and dips in all the right places. --David Trueman

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very excellent! With a twist!, December 29, 2004

By	Steven Piek (Calgary, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Well what can be said about Faithless? What indeed. They certainly have been around for a looong time now. Dating back to when dance/trance/club music was making huge waves over in the UK scene. But out of all of that, Faithless have grown, lost members and gained new ones. Throughout all of this, the sound of Faithless has remained for the most part constant. Until now. No Roots brings Faithless over the threshold into a new era. Gone now is the signature "trance/dance" stand out song we all expected to hear from their releases (IE, We Come One, God Is A DJ). We have instead, a more music and vocal driven selection. Added is a new frontline vocalist along side Maxi Jazz, who brings a soothing change to the group. There are also some really spectacular music only tracks here which can take you on quite the journey without the use of drugs. I highly recommend this cd even if you are not a true Faithless follower. Go for it, you won't regret it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hypnotic and Soul Cleansing, July 12, 2006

By	Rebecca Johnson "SeasonedwithLove.com" (Washington State) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

"More oneness, less categories,
Open hearts, no strategies.
Decisions based upon faith and not fear.
People who live right now and right here.
I want the wisdom that wise men revere."
~I Want More - Part 2

No Roots is filled with lyrics rooted in truth and "I Want More - Part 2" is especially meaningful in that regard. While Sweep knocks you off your feet and leaves you a little dazed, Miss U Less, See U More is surprisingly refreshing. "How could I continue to be the sky without my earth." So romantic...

Filled with social commentary and stories, this music is beautiful and meaningful. The wisdom reaches the heart of the matter and is very palatable in a variety of musical styles.

"You will always be a friend to me
My love persists over land and sea, through centuries"
~No Roots

No Roots slips and slides in musical waves that branch out into wide-open spaces of sound and becomes hypnotizing. You are not sure where one song ends and one begins as the song morphs into "Swingers" as the energy increases and the pace grows ever more rapid. Truly quite fascinating but very intense leading you into a dreamy "Pastoral." You can hardly believe the same band is producing such a variety of moods and musical places. One minute they are rapping, the next floating in dreamy soundscapes of ultimate piano perfection and then delving into club moods. This album is a much more intense album than Outrospective but has some interesting lyrics I enjoyed.

~The Rebecca Review

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Faithless - No Roots, August 21, 2004

By	James Amos (OH, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

From the official website:

"genre busting music aimed at the head, heart and feet"

Faithless, led by Rollo Armstrong (brother of songbird of the moment, Dido), has always been an outfit which stood apart from other more generic musical offerings from the mid-to-late 90's.

Like Massive Attack, Underworld, Orbital and Prodigy, Faithless have never considered themselves overly commercial and don't believe in 'selling out' to the usual contrivances and compromises of popular music production. Over the years they've enjoyed a unique position of being able to deliver a much more intelligent and mature kind of dance music, to an ever resilient and supportive fan-base, than has generally been produced by other popular DJ's and labels around the world.

My first experience with Faithless, as I'm sure many would similarly avow, was the incredible foot stomping, beautifully simplistic, ethereal anthem that was 'God is a DJ' [Sunday 8pm], I think I was at the (once) mighty Lakota in Bristol, and of course everybody in te house loved it so much that they played it twice in a row.

You can't listen to Faithless and not have a good time. I think they've had some bad rap lately, and throughout their career, for daring to have a political and moral conscience -- something that entertainers of all varieties are consistently scorned for, as if they have no right behaving and vocalizing as rational human beings who think for themselves.

Whatever. Perhaps their most recent press release tries too hard to sell us the idea that Faithless should be revered for their 'lyrical genius', it also tries and fails to explain a theory of the 'twin-concept album'. Firstly, though some of the lyrics on 'No Roots' are certainly evocative ("Whether Halliburton, Enron or anyone/Greed is a weapon of mass destruction"), or at times very thoughtful ("Your love is on a grand scale/Mine is in the details"), there are others that I definitely wouldn't equate to acts of genius, but rather the confines of a style that relies too heavily on forced rhyming ("My love persists over land and sea/Through centuries/I'll fill you up like rice and peas") -- the jury is still out on that last one. And of course, we all know to roll our eyes and shake our heads in dismay whenever we hear the words 'concept album'.

A review by Guardian unlimited poked fun at both these issues, which, though unfortunate, is really only to be expected.

Although Faithless are obviously trying to convey certain messages that they feel strongly about, what's most important in judging the merits of any music surely has to be the MUSIC itself. Future press releases might do Faithless more justice if they just follow that rule more closely.

And the music of 'No Roots', the latest album -- ranging from chilled out synthesized atmospherics, reggae inspired drum beat mantra's, to their more trademark hard-house anthems -- is an eclectic yet well weaved mix which definitely deserves all the attention it can get.

The opening track after a brief intro, 'Mass Destruction' is a curious blend of the biographical ("My dad came into my room/Holding his hat/I knew he was leavin/ Sat on my bed told me some facts") with lyrics of a more outwardly political nature ("Wether soaraway sun or BBC 1/misinformation is a weapon of mass destruction") -- 'soaraway sun referring to the UK's leading ( and utterly superficial) tabloid newspaper, 'The Sun'. 'Mass destruction' sets the pervading tone -- one of maturity, inner searching, and worldly conscientiousness.

What then transcends is a well balanced, marginally experimental album blurring musical boundaries between house, speed garage, high energy dance anthem, and chilled out drum 'n' bass, occasionally borrowing elements from trip-hop, trance, and a few less predictable sources. If you listen carefully you might recognize traces of legendary synth master Jean Michelle Jarre ('Pastoral') and even Lenny Kravitz ('Swingers').

For me, stand out tracks include the free flowing reggae styles and electronic wizardry of 'Love lives on my street'; the classic speed garage dance vibes of 'Miss U less, see U more'; the excellently channeled guitar loops, melodic chanting, and break beats on 'No Roots' -- also featuring Dido; and the penultimate 'What about love' -- with plenty of reverb and cathedral atmosphere, reminiscent of their earlier, now famous club anthems.

Overall not a perfect album -- but then that's a target which is probably unattainable by anyone. Nonetheless I would definitely recommend this to those with an appreciation or strong interest in progressive dance music. Of course, to really experience Faithless you need to see them perform live, but if this is as close as you ever get, you shouldn't feel too left out, that is, unless you haven't bought their other albums already.