The list of contributors to The Bottletop Band is as remarkable as it is lengthy, a veritable who’s who of contemporary music. Well, sort of. They do, however, include in amongst their ranks contributions and cameos from Arctic Monkey Matt Helders, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, carl Barat, Money mark, Get cape Wear Cape Fly, VV Brown, Drew Mcconnell, Tim Burgess, Sam Sparro, Reverend and the Makers... the list goes on. It’s the kind of lineup that would probably make up Band Aid if they were to rerecord ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas?’ - again. In addition, it’s all been produced by ‘fourth Beastie Boy’ Mario Caldato Junior.
Now, while not all of the artists are likely to get me in a lather, I can certainly appreciate their calibre. But with so many ideas (and no doubt egos) all pitching in - and no doubt occasionally pulling in different directions - such a large democratic collective will invariably be forced to make compromises during the creative process. Judging by the material on 'Dream Service', most of the compromises were made in the character department. There are some nice touches, but overall there's nothing that remotely stands out.
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Amongst the selected quotes featured on the press release is a snippet from 'Q' which describes it as 'a funky stew.' They were being kind. Dreary single 'One in a Million' featuring Eliza Doolittle is by no means the worst, or the dullest, track on here. 'Kawalski', featuring Sam the Kid and Pac Man might not be dull, but it’s the kind of rap effort that’s so half-arsed as to sound almost parodic. It’s also rather incongruous in the overall context of the album. And herein lies the problem: it feels more like an ill-conceived compilation album, or a Radio 1C playlist. And while it might all be for charity, it’s no excuse for such a sloshed-up slew of substandard pap.
Rarely has so little been achieved by so many.
The Bottletop Band On-line
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