World Wide Message Tribe

Item: Frantik
Author: James Stewart

Frantik

(1999)

Reviewed by James Stewart

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Label Alliance UKThe Phantom Tollbooth1999

dance pop electronic hip hop techno

And so the story goes on. Nearly two years after Heatseeker surprised many as it showed us a harder chapter of the World Wide Message Tribe narrative, this next turn of the page opens up a pop sound that is, dare I say it, rather cheesy.

This latest release has some infectious dance beats and its fair share of infectious melodies. The presentation and production are top notch--we wouldn't expect anything less. But somewhere down the line the group have decided to venture into a sound which, somewhat like that purveyed by their protegees Raze, had its hey-day a few years ago.

Tracks like "Eat the Word," which talks of being greedy for God's word, and "Girl of God," a song of commitment, are commendable in their enthusiasm, but become somewhat irritating in their repetition and possible over-simplicity.

Sometimes it's cold, sometimes it's hot
Sometimes I'm hungry, sometimes I'm not
Other times I feel like I just can't bear
Another day another week of pulling out my hair
(from "Eat The Word")

The two remixes ("Frantik" and "Truth") which close out the disc are probably the highlights, with a definite club feel to them, but are still not enough to redeem this release.

The World Wide Message Tribe do a great work in the schools of Manchester and put on a great live show. But unfortunately this album is not one of their best.

2.5 tocks