I've not heard something quite like this song before. And I like that. Difference and variation is a very nice part of life - without it, where would we be? Listening to Capital FM all day and struggling to stray from the conventional, and quite annoying, pop that populates (see what I did there?) some of the tackier radio stations in the UK - and probably in the whole world. Yeah, without difference we'd be a pretty boring bunch. Even that kind of samey pop has its own merits - it is different to the things that are different from it.
Don't get me wrong, though: some difference is just too extreme. Can't handle it. Too silly/too much/horrible/etc. - it's not ALL good stuff. However, the unique vibe in Slugabed's new song 'Bombok' is something that, while a little bizarre (perhaps I'm just swayed using that word because of the strange video), should be celebrated wholeheartedly.
Seriously though, be warned: the video is mighty weird - trippy and even a little gross.
You get me? It's strange. So strange. Who is that... monstrosity? Haha. So weird.
In any case, it's the song that I'm more interested in. With a triumphal feel, it whacks you in the face - or more in the gut, or perhaps even more aptly right in the ears - with bombastic bass kicks that reverberate all around while hi-hats flutter above like shredded metal. But the most noticeable thing at first is this great vocal of "Bombok" which is twisted from high to low, jumbled up and chucked into the air like popping candy.
The style is of big bass, of a kind of dirty dancehall style yet with a radical edge that throws in loopy synth sounds and even mixes in a little saxophone for a surprise ska (mmmm and maybe a little jazz) vibe - that saxophone comes courtesy of Dan Berry. In any case, this strange mix of jazz, ska, bass, dancehall is a very British mix. Nearly two years ago I wrote about Slugabed's 'Depth Perception', and it seems that his sound has changed rather a lot, but in a very good way: dynamism and attitude now blasts through his already established experimental urban roots.
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