CORNERSHOP - Cornershop & The Double ‘O’ Groove Of

Then came the day when the hit single "Brimful Of Asha" struck gold, and Cornershop seemed poised to conquer the world. As time went on, it all turned out to be a flash in the pan, and while subsequent albums continued to enjoy a certain amount of success in England, they failed to live up to the expectations built up around the band fronted by Tjinder Singh.

The film “The Millionaire” and its soundtrack have given a boost to the music of the Indian subcontinent, M.I.A. has become a star of international standing, the moment seems ripe, so why not try again? After all, Indian seductions have always enchanted hosts of listeners, as well as some of the best musicians since the 60s onward - just think of the Beatles' trip to India (after which good old George Harrison tried to slip a sitar in just about everywhere) or the illuminations of a certain (Devadip) Carlos Santana. A fascination that seems a bit rusty today, but one that Bollywood keeps trying to revive.

The story of “Cornershop & The Double 'O' Groove Of” starts from way back, from a single that did reasonably well in 2004 and has recently become the cornerstone on which this new work is built. The track is “Topknot”, and all things considered it's the only genuinely intriguing episode on an anemic tracklist devoid of any real spark. The album shows an interesting shift in perspective. Whereas up to now Cornershop started from a kind of brit-beat and then spiced it with Indian flavors, today the situation is reversed: they start from the latter with the aim of westernizing the sound. The lead single, “United Provinces Of India”, is a fitting declaration of the whole album's content, which with the right remixed revisions could well have half the world dancing for months.

But beyond two or three tracks worth paying attention to (besides the ones already mentioned, we could add the closing “Don't Shake It”), there isn't much else to report. We appreciate the intent to put together a melting pot in step with the times, but this time the numbers don't add up: the formula starts spinning in circles, and alongside a lack of genuinely innovative ideas, the songs themselves start running thin. Some choices come across as downright embarrassing, like the harpsichord effect grafted onto a melody reminiscent of the Lady Oscar theme tune (on “Double Decker Eyelashes”), or the clumsy attempts to give “The Biro Pen” an indie-pop polish. Everything feels more than predictable, on a record that is nonetheless well put together, crafted to showcase the vocal talents of Bubbley Kaur, a female voice from Punjab who lends soul to the ten upbeat tracks.

I must confess that “Brimful Of Asha” never did much for me, not even in the guise Norman Cook gave it in the remixed version that shot to the top of the charts in several countries in 1998, and which is probably the reason Cornershop are still around today. But compared to the material on “Double 'O' Groove Of”, that really was a masterpiece.

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20/03/2011