The Prodigy -‘Invaders Must Die.’ (Cooking Vinyl)
I’ve had a slightly difficult relationship with The Prodigy. Much of this is to do with my King Canute/Ostrich phase during the first half of the nineties where I was convinced that dance music was inferior to rock and indie. My loss. Gradually over time I fell for them, seduced by nights post school when ‘No Good’ kicked in and by the singles of ‘Firestarter’ and ‘Breathe’ (the latter which had a rock bassline! Like Joy Division!!) so that by the time of the release of third album The Fat Of The Land I had fallen hook line and sinker for them. Then over the next few years I was left disappointed by both the ‘Baby’s Got A Temper’ single and the eventual follow up to Fat, Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned.
But just before Christmas, a free mp3 of ‘Invaders Must Die’ started circulating and I procked my ears up once more. It’s presented in a longer form here, but the Prodigy are back on form and how. They’ve regained their energy, updated their technology (I imagine) and lost none of their spirit and inventiveness that showed how they bridged the true spirit of both rave and punk.
Given that it’s now eighteen years since they debuted with the ‘What Evil Lurks’ they now seem to be back at the forefront of a reinvigorated dance scene. Students I teach have been, er, raving about them, and the sense is that they really are on top form here. From the moment the title track kicks in, this is an album for dancing to, for feeling uplifted and being reminded that like contemporaries the Chemical Brothers, they may have their roots in early nineties dance but they belong just as much in the present rather than simply being a throwback to the early nineties rave scene. Both ‘Warror’s Dance’ and ‘Omen’ have been big hits already, but like the aforementioned Chemicals, the Produgy were always good at putting toegether a proper album. The title track and ‘Thunder’ are two other standout tracks on what is an excellent album.
Good to have them back!
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(please note: Dear any DMCA creeps or Web Police/sherriff; the above mp3 is linked to from a legally recognised free site).
The Prodigy website/The Prodigy myspace
Prodigy – ‘Omen.’
Prodigy -‘Warrior’s Dance.’