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By Dustin Naughton Entertainment Staff |
Guide to Star Ratings |
: Cornershops' third album When I Was Born For the 7th Time is different. Not in a bad way though. Their new release under the Warner Brothers label combines a little of everything.
Cornershop is a British based band consisting of five members who have been together for about five years. Their sound has been described as "a hybrid of traditional Punjobi music and Western pop" and an "Indian sound with hip-hop rock drum loops and bizarre tweaked samples." They have released two previous records, Hold on it Hurts and Womens Got to Have It.
These albums pushed Conershops into the spot light resulting in their touring with bands such as Porno for Pyros, Stereolab, Los Lobos, Beck, and playing last years Lollapalooza. You can also catch them currently touring with Oasis.
Most of you have probably heard Cornershops' played out single "Brim Full of Asha" on trendy radio stations through-out Atlanta. This sing is pretty catchy. You notice yourself humming its rhythmic cords and the only words you understand are "on the 45." Lead singer Tjinder Singh says that the song was written to pay homage to Indian movie songstress Asha Bhosle. Whatever you say Tjinder!
The rest of this record contains an assortment of totally different music. From the quixotic burst of harmonium that opens the album to the track "Sleep on the Left Side" to the sly, stoned political insights offered on "Funky Days are Back Again" to the militant optimism of "Candyman" it's clear that Cornershop has pulled out all the stops in bringing the unlikeliest of influences into the grandest of harmonic convergence. The third song off this album, "Butter the Soul" is a mix of scratchy, clangey, bassey, instrumental riffs. And for you Beatles fans, there is a cover of "Norwegian Wood"—except it's not in English
With Tjinder's vocals, scratching, guitar, and dholki, combined with Ben Ayres on the tamboura, geetar, and keyboards, Anthony Saffery on sitar, harmonium, and key board and Nick Simms on the drums, Cornershop puts together a "brilliant collision of sitar drones, loops, scratching, strong noises, jangling guitars, funky grooves, pure pop genius and the odd bit of twangin'" for what Rolling Stone says is one of the best albums of the year.
This album is different like I said, but as Tjinder says it has "something for everyone: from the country to brunch with hip-hop, cricket on the lawn with Punjabifolk music and a square dance before dinner with the most righteous beats." True.