Holger Czukay | U-She - The New Millennium FLAC download

In many ways this album suffers the unfortunate curse of LAIKA (whom it often reminds me of) - being too experimental to be widely accepted by the plastic no-brains mainstream, yet altogether too mainstream to be enveloped in the loving arms of trueblood experimentalists. Working outside of a group or partnership can have it's downside - a tendency towards quirky self-indulgence and, lacking the magic of relationship tensions and kinship, an inclination to over-produce the vitality out of the music. Thankfully CZUKAY doesn't suffer from this - years of collaborations have given him a deft ability to hit right on target. Mainly electronic, this music nods respectfully towards Techno and Electronic Dance in general, while maintaining it's own inner serenity - it varies from stalwart rhythms to a more passive mood music, without ever falling outside the traces of structure. Some of CZUKAY's timings here are make for oddly polyrhythmic sounds, not unlike a more benign SUICIDE, sometimes giving the impression the machines are unchained and liberated, running free not in chaos, but in the desire to express. So what of U-SHE? Immediate (unfounded) prejudice. Who did she think she was? A female version of U-ROY or something? What's with the name? Thankfully she's far better than the curious name might suggest. Very much from the same mould as the late NICO, with the off-key, spoken-sung voice, flat tones and curiously harmonic multi-layers. More often letting her voice drift off into hushed whispers than keeping it full frontal, her rich tones do not outstay their welcome, instead leaving you hungry to hear more. Repetition is prevalent here - some sampling but mostly repeated words adding to the busy-but-not-wearing rhythms. Complex compositions still manage to throw out some hooky themes. High on the Golden Moments chart is "Millennium", having a distinct curvy tune, not overblown, but hooky enough to work it's way into your head with little effort. And the subtle but relentless "Rosebud" with the breathy NICO-utterance of "No Trespassing" worms it's way into your mind. The closing track "Echogirl" is reminsicent more of later period SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES, both the voice and four square music sounding very similar. A good solid track, with the more strightforward in-yer-face voice making up for the lack of the ex-CAN-man's pyrokinetics. Impressive enough without leaving an indelible mark. He will of course forge ahead forever. And She (sorry, U-SHE) deserves to reach a wider audience and celebrate a lot more success than I imagine she currently does. An entertaining album which promises much for the future. Originally reviewed for Metamorphic Journeyman.