Beige | I'm Only in it For the Money
Alku | 3" CDR
Alku's back catalog is well worth hunting down. A Barcelona based 'home label' releasing exquisite recordings in equally exquisite hand-made packaging, there's no question that Alku aren't in it for the money (although they deserve a small slice of the pie).
Three inches of decidedly digital funk, Beige's wry album title, not to mention track titles - 'My American Express', 'My Big Red Car', 'My Big Whatever' - wear their smiles firmly on their sleeves. With a sound characterised by precise shards of funk underpinned by gentle beatbox rhythms that tug and pull against each other, ever threatening to part direction, it's easy to see why Beige has releases to date on both the Leaf label and Burnt Friedman's Nonplace imprint.
It's doubtful that Beige's 'My Big Big Hit' will ascend the slippery and carefully guarded ladder of pop mediocrity, but there's no doubting its down to earth sense of fun. For my money though, 'My Big Whatever' (subtitled 'Must be Dirty!') is the perfect mix of squelchy electro, rippling beats and melody. Roll on the royalties...
[CM]
