Give Out... But Never Ever Give Up!
Anthony Vasquez | Chicago, IL | 08/02/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"the scream is a bizarre creature. a Byrds-esque band that reinvented itself as dance acid-house (practically creating the genre with Screamadelica), then nearly ruined their careers after trying out the Rolling Stones - bare bones, rock 'n roll thing with Give Out. then of course they rebounded with the tripped out Vanishing Point, and the skull-crushing club monsterpiece XTRMNTR.
now they're trying the Rolling Stones thing again. are the results different? yes, mainly this disc is much more raw, and less produced than it's glossy predecessor. also, the songs are more focused, and less jangly - thanks to producer Youth, of Killing Joke fame. but at the same time they still manage to crossover into their acid-dub ways with "little death", a hornier version of XTRMNTR's "keep your dreams". "suicide sally" must be an amazing experience live, if it's as good as they played on zane lowe's bbc show. and the album closes with the true stunner, "sometimes i feel so lonely". think Death In Vegas' "23 Lies" as done by Lee Hazlewood.
the scream have proved they can pull of just about anything. so what's next?"
Great CD, Combining the Best Elelemts of the Group's Past Wo
Matthew E. Taylor | Arlington, VA United States | 09/10/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"With tracks that range from country-esque to stompin' crankers, this CD is well worth the money. While the music is diverse, almost every track stands on its own.
A huge fan of "Sreamadelica" back in the day, I nearly gave up on the band after the "Vanishing Point" CD, and I viewed "EXTRMNTR" as a very uneven work (flashes of brilliance intermixed with headache-inducing nonsense). But if you liked "Give Out But Don't Give Up" (I love that CD), then you should be happy with this one. Again, very diverse stuff, but rock solid all aound."