Album title:
Aaagh!
Artist:
Republic Of Loose
Label:
Loaded Dice
2007's been funk-ing crazy, ain't it? From the freakoid majesty of Chromeo's Fancy Footwork to Prince's 21-night sold-out residency in the venue formerly known as the Millennium Dome, it seems every man and his velour-adorning mongrel has a hankering for booty grinding, slap bass tickling grooves. But, inevitably, the new funk revival is going to generate some unwanted dangleberries and, in Republic Of Loose's porcelain blocking sound, it's undoubtedly dropped a stinking log. This nine-strong Celtic ensemble's second LP Aaagh! is an indigestible splatter of chart-slobbering sheen riddled with pantomimic misogyny and a Neanderthal sense of violence. Perpetually bulging to grinding R&B rhythms, Timbaland-aping tracks like the The Translation or the insipid flamenco shuffle of Break! could transcend Jamiroquai into the pantheon of disco legends. Thematically dubious and musically incorrigible, Aaagh! proves that when it comes to creating hook laden floor fillers, Republic Of Loose can funk right off. [Billy Hamilton]