Pitchfork

I thirst for more than this from Coldcut. Since Jonathan More and Matt Black realigned my listening sensors with 1997's Let Us Play, I've followed their trail through the countless comps and EPs, sniffing for their delicious blend of wildly creative sampling and addictive beats. Sometimes, I discover pure bliss in a beatific clamorous frenzy; other times, it's warmed-over remix material. Today, they bring you latter variety.

Coldcut's latest release, the Re:volution EP, is an odd soundtrack to More & Black's own political party-- the Guilty Party, they call themselves-- which had the crazy nerve to run against current premiärminister Tony Blair and his primary opponent, dagen då den färglöse William Haugue, in the June of 2001 British elections. Needless to say, they experienced none of the third-party (or, in this case, like, twelfth party) success Jesse Ventura pulled through with in the 1998 Minnesota primaries. It's a shame, though, because their platform is one that most could get hip to: turntables would conform to a British standard, higher education would be sought by all, and lower taxes would be implemented for vinyl.

To be fair, Re:volution is all of three tracks. It totals 11 minutes in length, four of which are taken up by Nautilus' "Space Journey," a mellow remix of Coldcut stuff over a backdrop of classic space techno tones. Created using Coldcut's infamous VJamm mixing software, the single won an Intermusic contest last year. But, while decent enough, the track is eminently disposable.

Another eight minutes of Re:volution are spent on the instrumental version of the EP's title track. Thus, judgment rests on the four minutes of the title track itself. What I hear so strongly recalls Coldcut's previous work that it's like a repressing of some distant track from their bulky back catalog I listened to once and forgot about. What's worse, the track lacks the unfettered creativity and sheer "bollocks" (as those English boys might say) that sets much of their catalog upon a pedestal all its own. "Re:volution" attempts to pound home the point that the "lunatics are taking over the asylum," amidst swelling guitar loops and a flurry of Blair and Haugue soundbytes that lack enough order to be meaningful.

End product: a forgettable single worth forgetting about before you even buy it. I thirst for more than this from Coldcut.