Becoming X by Sneaker Pimps (Vinyl, 1996)

One Little Indian

5016958099312

4050124934

Sneaker Pimps

Vinyl

1996

Stereo

Becoming X

LP

52 mins 40 seconds

R&B

Producers: Line Of Flight, Jim Abbiss, Flood. Engineers: Jim Abbiss, Line Of Flight, Flood, Luke Gifford, C. Goddard. Sneaker Pimps have clearly mastered the art of having your cake and eating it too. On BECOMING X, the British band combines techno beats and samples with Big Rock Guitar and cutesy-girl vocals a la Letters To Cleo, covering all bases for an eclectic sound that keeps things from getting too staid or predictable. While the overall mood is one of darkness and urban-jungle drama, Sneaker Pimps manage to come up with enough propulsive rhythms and arresting hooks to bring a little light to the proceedings. Tracks like "6 Underground" slow down the pace a bit and add some acoustic instruments into the mix, making for a Portishead/Everything But The Girl vibe. Elsewhere, the band's rock and roll aspiration rears its head. Whether they're trip-hopping, rocking and rolling or raving, though, Sneaker Pimps provide enough substance beneath their stylistic veneers to keep you coming back for more.

Rolling Stone (3/6/97, p.72) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...designs its sparse arrangements in the Tricky mold...adding snippets of bracing guitar and a little rock attitude....Using just a few stark elements, Sneaker Pimps make pop as tension-filled as an Edgar Allan Poe novel.." Entertainment Weekly (3/14/97, p.80) - "...Whether massaging the senses with smooth, seductive grooves or spacing out in the beat-happy jungle of drum-and-bass, Sneaker Pimps manage to be ominously spooky without indulging in Tricky's gothic pretension and hypnotic without lapsing into Portishead's one-note gloom." - Rating: B+

The Orchard

1

USA