Edwyn Collins: "I'm Not Following You" (Setanta)
The bonnie prince of retro follows up his hugely successful Gorgeous George album with another collection of quirky tunes, all steeped in Philly soul and fluffy disco, with a bit of country rock thrown in for cowboy camp value. We've all gotten a bit sick of Edwyn since A Girl Like You became a massive hit and ended up on every compilation CD ever, but this new collection will be another refreshing departure from the rock norm. The recent single, The Magic Piper (Of Love), is a classy slice of kitschy disco which mixes loungey flute playing with soulful, bluesy guitar licks, putting it all over a groovy beat; no surprise to find that it features on the soundtrack of the upcoming Austin Powers movie. Seventies Night features the dyspeptic vocals of Mark E. Smith from The Fall, stumbling through the charred remains of the disco inferno. No One Waved Goodbye - Nilsson meets Glen Campbell - is positively drowning in syrupy strings, twiddling acoustic guitars, mellotron and some alien instrument called a Cyclaxian Voose - all played by Captain Smirk himself. It's A Steal and Keep On Burning hold a wry mirror up to Collins's own muse, the former picking the pockets of gullible record-buyers, the latter utilising those Isley Brothers guitars to grungehead-baiting effect. Adidas World takes numerous swipes at the sports trademark which has become the footwear of choice for the new proletariat. "Adi Dassler have you heard the news?/Gonna stomp all over your three-stripe shoes", threatens Collins with a trainer-taming sneer. The title track ends on a swirl of electronic treatments, closing with a mad mixture of sounds, from sheep to Hare Krishnas to gunfire, going out with a bang and a codswallop. Gorgeous.
