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Finley Quaye
VANGUARD
(Epic)

The next Brit-pop act to break through on these shores may indeed be a traditional, white, guitar/bass/drums rock act like Coldplay. But there are many more interesting sounds emanating from across the Atlantic. Finley Quaye, a Briton of West Indian descent, offers a far more accurate portrait of post-colonial England’s ethnic and cultural mash-up than anything Coldplay have to offer. And on his second album, Quaye’s sound is up to date with the UK’s current musical climate: stocked with loopy beat science and dub shapeshifting, Vanguard draws equally from the blunted trip-hop of Massive Attack, the electro-folk of Beth Orton, the atmospheric art rock of Radiohead, and a strand of reggae rock that’s run through British music since the late ’70s. Not since Cornershop’s 1997 album, When I Was Born for the 7th Time (Luaka Bop), has an artist brought together ethnic sounds, electronic grooves, and rock attitude with such offhand ease. The downside is Quaye’s reliance on absurdist non sequiturs and kindergarten rhyme schemes. Still, he never sounds less than assured, guiding you through junglized reggae ( " Broadcast " ), psychedelic big beat ( " White Paper " ), and blues-punk rave-ups ( " Spiritualized " ) with a cool, slippery tenor that smoothes over his lyrical quirks.

BY MICHAEL ENDELMAN

Issue Date: March 15 - 22, 2001





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