Album: XTRMNTR
Artist: Primal Scream
Born: Mount Florida, Glasgow
Released: January 2000
Genre: Electro Punk
Where to start with Primal Scream? Few groups evolved so much in just a decade, from the blissed out acid house of Screamadelica (1991) to the classic rock of Give Out But Don't Give Up (1994) and the electronic psychedelia of Vanishing Point (1997). The only consistent element in all this was Bobby Gillespie, whose ever-expanding record collection was reflected in his changing musical tastes, with Primal Scream operating more as a collective by the time of XTRMNTR's release. Gillespie, along with The Jesus & Mary Chain, was part of a generation of musicians in the 80s that stood in defiance of the times, instead looking back to The Byrds, Rolling Stones, Love and Velvet Underground for inspiration.
While I'm fond of Screamadelica, especially Higher Than The Sun, you can't escape the fact that Primal Scream at this time were a tribute act. The real change came with the moody, panoramic and brilliant Vanishing Point, where successful collaborations opened up the possibility for the group to act more as a collective. That said, not many fans would have guessed the direction they'd take with XTRMNTR, a musical fusion of hard electronic beats and noisy, punk rock. In many ways, it's a reactionary record, its high-tempo energy in contrast to the fashionable downtempo electronica of the times, its hard guitar sound a response to the soft pop of Shania Twain, Boyzone and legions of others. The record also saw Gillespie ditching rock & roll clichés and blissed out vocals for a tough political stance. The few 60s references that the record contains, such as quoting Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues ("look out kid, you keep it all hid") on Exterminator, point to a more socially aware outlook.
At a time in the late 90s where the anti-globalisation movement was gathering pace, following the "Battle of Seattle" in 1999, Gillespie clearly felt a political awakening and the record is full of pithy comments on excessive wealth ("you got the money, I got the soul" – Kill All Hippies) and military power ("gun metal skies" – Exterminator, "a military industrial / illusion of democracy" – Swastika Eyes). Sometimes the slogans sound like those you hear from frothing, demented left-wingers on university campuses across the land, and the ranting on Pills (Gillespie's attempt at hip hop) is best forgotten, but there's much else to admire. Gillespie and guitarist Andrew Innes remained the core of the band, but were now joined by Mani from The Stone Roses, Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine and even New Order's Bernard Sumner for the stunning closing track, Shoot Speed / Kill Light.
At a time in the late 90s where the anti-globalisation movement was gathering pace, following the "Battle of Seattle" in 1999, Gillespie clearly felt a political awakening and the record is full of pithy comments on excessive wealth ("you got the money, I got the soul" – Kill All Hippies) and military power ("gun metal skies" – Exterminator, "a military industrial / illusion of democracy" – Swastika Eyes). Sometimes the slogans sound like those you hear from frothing, demented left-wingers on university campuses across the land, and the ranting on Pills (Gillespie's attempt at hip hop) is best forgotten, but there's much else to admire. Gillespie and guitarist Andrew Innes remained the core of the band, but were now joined by Mani from The Stone Roses, Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine and even New Order's Bernard Sumner for the stunning closing track, Shoot Speed / Kill Light.
Other highlights for me are the high octane Accelerator, the house groove of Swastika Eyes (there are two mixes, including one by the Chemical Brothers) and the glorious MBV Arkestra, on which Shields creates a mesmerising wall of guitar noise. Keep Your Dreams is also an oasis of calm and serenity in the middle of the record, with Gillespie in a more conciliatory mood ("I believe in forgiveness, hate will eat you whole"). For a group so profoundly linked with the story of Creation Records, it was fitting that Primal Scream released the last album on the label.
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