Morcheeba’s fourth studio album’s mega-surprises

Creative approach to Morcheeba’s fourth studio album is explained by members with a story about the 1960s Brazilian movement, Tropicalia that was based on the idea of musical ‘cannibalism’ – use anything you fancy from anywhere in the world and mix it with the domestic rhythms. The consequent ‘Charango’ is a cross between mood music and shindig, it is like standing in a middle of an open-air concert and being able to hear several different stages that, somehow, join in one completely new entity, something like atmo-urbanity.

To that end, the three principle members of Morcheeba invited few guests, not only to vocalise but also contribute lyrics. Thus, Pacewon from Outsidaz is on the title track, Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner worded ‘What New York Couples Fight About’ and duets with Skye on, plus penning ‘Undress Me Now’. And yet, the biggest surprise is ‘Women Lose Weight’, fronted by MC Slick Rick, a song with lyrics that rival anything by Eminem.

“I’m gonna have to kill ‘er,” goes the nonchalant rap, “Send that ass right to the morgue,” echo the backing vocalists. The track details the decision of a man to do away with his wife because she has gained weight after having two kids.

“I think Eminem has made it impossible for anyone to be really controversial now,” argues Morcheeba’s beat programmer/lyricist Paul Godfrey. “I think some people might find it offensive, but it is kind of funny. The album is generally about degrading relationships and that is probably the ultimate final stage of the relationship.”

Probably a male fantasy at moments when senses vacate reason, it was written by Slick Rick, who served time from 1990 to 1996 for attempted murder. Although he is happily married, Paul adds, “and his wife said she liked (the song) as well."

Fragments of serendipity

The British trip-hoppers-cum-popstars – include Paul, his brother/guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Ross Godfrey and vocalist Skye Edwards – specifically asked Slick Rick to write the rap about killing his wife after noticing how many New York cafes post flyers that read, ‘Women Lose Weight’. Paul and Skye are answering questions over lunch in a swanky Chelsea Harbour restaurant. (Ross is finishing off a phone interview and joins us later.)

Not only this song was inspired by quirky happenings of the mean New York streets as ‘What New York Couples Fight About’ was inspired by a headline in a women’s magazine. Extra ingredients in creating this album were Ross and Skye’s travels around the world while Paul was hermit-existing in a studio and leisurely pace they could afford to work at. And do it all organically, play it for real which they recently recreated on a London stage with a 17-piece orchestra.

“We really spent two years on this album,” Paul explains, “and these 12 songs came from some 70 ideas we had and it was a very fine filtering process. The fact is we took the best parts of the previous three records and reassembled them, then brought in some more exotic influences, some more underground, hip-hop, urban influences.”

“I didn’t go touring (after ‘Fragments Of Freedom’),” Godfrey continues, “and have spent 20 thousand pounds on records and spent time listening to it to generate ideas. I hadn’t had any time to listen to any music really during work on the previous three albums. It was a real buzz for me and I tell you these shops didn’t know what hit them when I walked in.”

Deep moods, emo-streams

Morcheeba are more than happy with the results and rightfully consider ‘Charango’ to be their best album to date. Ross describes their progression from the first record (1996’s ‘Who Can You Trust’), a really good mood but very lo-fi and kind of miserable, to the second record (1998’s ‘Big Calm’), a lot of diverse influences and quite hopeful sentiment, while the third record (2000’s ‘Fragments of Freedom’) was very well produced, but didn’t necessarily have the songs and the emotion.

So, they combined good production, emotion and mood, added few guests and the result is a very soulful album that is vocally handled in an assertive and powerful manner. And yet, Skye is a lithe lady with a small speaking voice and rather shy, refraining from answering unless directly addressed.

“We had the budget to do it properly this time,” she states quietly, “and felt really confident to call whom we wanted and ask them to guest on our record. We’ve done what we wanted but, because of our previous success (over 3 million albums sold), people have different expectations of us. I personally think you shouldn’t set your sights high.”

“You can’t get involved in their personal insecurities and schemes,” Ross Godfrey joins in, “because you may just set yourself for a greater letdown. The only power we have is to make a, great records and b, play great shows. Even the interviews are out of our hands because it depends on individual journalists’ angle.”

For all the harassed/pished-off/enraged London drivers, the album ends with ‘The Great London Traffic Warden Massacre’ that grew out of Paul’s experience of having his brand new (delivered that very day!) BMW towed away for being parked with a curb-resting wheel.

As the band gears up to tour again, Skye tells us she’d love to have an acupuncturist in their entourage. The Godfrey bros look at each other and shake their smiles. (28 June 2002)