Saul Milton and Will Kennard, aka Chase and Status, return with No More Idols. As it transpires, it’s a near unlistenable racket of derivative, drum ‘n bass driven rave-rock.
This unfocused mess of pedestrian riffs and multiple style-shifts is a none-too-inspired attempt to charm the mainstream market while simultaneously pleasing hardcore clubbers. Bad idea... How they managed to convince numerous high profile vocalists, including Dizzee Rascal (‘Heavy’) and Cee-lo Green (‘Brixton Briefcase’) to guest is hard to fathom.
The most recent dance-rock renaissance was kick-started by Aussie one-trick-pony Pendulum, and No More Idols is simply a facsimile of that well worn template. Most tracks are an uneven amalgam of ideas, spanning multiple genres, minus the forceful licks to tie it all together. It’s supposed to be party music, but where are the floor-fillers?
While some of rave-rock’s finer exponents produce tailor-made club fodder, what bothers me is that No More Idols is bereft of killer tunes. Instead, it’s merely a series of random tracks hurriedly banged together and more likely to send people running for the door than partying ‘til the early hours. ‘Hypest Hype’ is the pick of the bunch and that’s basically a cover, combining Tinie Tempah’s rapid-fire rhymes with a significant sample from ‘Down So Long’ by The Doors.
In attempting to be all things to all men, Chase and Status have blown it. Or so it seems to me.
No More Idols, indeed....