The Nineties were a tie of economic difficulty to many people, but it was also a time of prosperity for others as the one-off benefits of globalisation had accrued. No band better captures this vibe better than Incognito, led by Bluey Maunick. So here is 100 and Rising: https://youtu.be/uuAwxd5Wr-E
What an intro. The Sax and the Strings have a regal quality
that is just chef’s kiss. But then its snatched away as we are put into a jazz
groove with punchy trombone-dominated-brass. Pamela Anderson (not that one)
interjects with cool vocalisations.
On a neutral chord, the verse starts with an open snare drum
adding lightness that counteracts the typically think bass. After a muted
trumpet dissonance, we go into the second half of the verse, with string lines
playing countermelodies. It gets stripped down and the counterplay becomes between
brass and the vocals, for “One hundred and rising”.
The verse repeats with soulful lyrics and lush arrangements of
strings mixed with horns. The keyboardist is just off doing their thing keeping
things playful. During the bridge the opening comes back on strings to lead us
into what sounds like credits music of a late 90s soap. Bam! The dissonance hits
and we go into the chorus.
There is a key change as Anderson belts dramatic improvised lines.
As it reaches its conclusion the song repeats “trying to make sense…” with
interjections from a male band member. The interaction is just really fun. This
ending doesn’t resolve but just fades out, suggesting that the world hasn’t gotten
any less crazy.
This is a playful song but hardly their best work.
Final Rating: 7/10
Comparative Ranking List:
1. Dear Prudence: 10/10
2. Rachmaninov Prelude in G (Original): 9/10
3. Stranger In Moscow 9/10
4. Black Sands: 9/10
5. Jupiter (The Planets): 9/10
6. Hollywood Heart: 8/10
7. Make It Easy on Yourself 8/10
8. Janet 8/10
9. Another Day in America: 8/10
10. Mi Re (Give into life)
11. Don’t Let it Show 7/10
12. Adagio For Strings 7/10
13. One Hundred and Rising 7/10
14. It’s Your Move (Parkinson) 7/10
15. It’s Your Move (Vaporwave Version) 7/10
16. It’s Your Move (Ross) 7/10
17. Don’t Lead Me On 7/10
18. Rachmaninov Prelude in G (VSO): 5/10
Comments
Post a Comment