(surrender all; July 2007)
From the British outfit that’s been hailed as pioneers of the trip-hop movement comes War Stories, the third album of UNKLE’s revered discography. But seasoned fans of the duo’s sound, be advised. Some profound changes have shaped War Stories into a distant relative of its predecessors. The deep and winding trip-hop grooves and percussion that defined earlier albums seem to have been swapped out for brazen rock guitars and high-velocity drumbeats. Whether or not this is an improvement is an issue of much controversy, but if you ask me, with UNKLE’s army of guest instrumentalists and vocalistsincluding Josh Homme and 3D of Massive Attackthis change is not one to be feared.