Beautiful Future - Primal Scream

...a staggering 26 years, released Beautiful Future, their 9th studio album. They started out as part of the Scottish indie scene that gave us Jesus and Mary Chain, but left behind their jingle, jangle sound to take on a more rocky sound. They've been in and out of the charts over the years and have collaborated with various other artists (Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine, Barnie Sumner, Robert Plant, The Chemical Brothers to name but a few). ...
...years accelerate…).

Beautiful Future is the most melodic I remember Primal Scream being and it's quite a bit more poppy. Five songs for the album were recorded with Bjorn Yttling [from Peter, Bjorn and John] at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm, which is where ABBA recorded 'Dancing Queen' and 'Knowing Me, Knowing You'. Perhaps some of the disco pop vibe wore off. In any case, it's definitely an easier listen than many of its predecessors. ... more

In 2008, Primal Scream, who have now been going for a staggering 26 years, released Beautiful Future, their 9th studio album. They started out as part of the Scottish indie scene that gave us Jesus and Mary Chain, but left behind their jingle, jangle sound to take on a more rocky sound. They've been in and out of the charts over the years and have collaborated with various other artists (Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine, Barnie Sumner, Robert Plant, The Chemical Brothers to name but a few).

There is no way a band can survive 26 years unless they keep moving, morphing, trying new things, whilst maintaining some thread of a story. Not only will most of the audience get bored with them, but they too risk getting stale and disinterested. I guess that Primal Scream have managed to do something different with each of their 9 albums, with varying success. The high points (for me) were Screamadelica (1990), which, with it's dance based slant on indie rock, was hailed as being 'of its time and timeless' and XTRMNTR (2000) which was darker, faster, harder rock with an electronic edge. The main low point for me was Give Out but Don't Give Up (1994) which just seemed to be a Rolling Stones tribute album. They have not been a consistent band in this sense.

The line up has changed quite a bit over the years, but front man Bobbie Gillespie, with his distinctive, if somewhat weak, vocals, is a constant and guitarist Andrew Innes is from the very early days. Bassist Mani (ex Stone Roses) seems like a relatively recent joiner, but even he has been in the band for 12 years now (ah how the years accelerate…).

Beautiful Future is the most melodic I remember Primal Scream being and it's quite a bit more poppy. Five songs for the album were recorded with Bjorn Yttling [from Peter, Bjorn and John] at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm, which is where ABBA recorded 'Dancing Queen' and 'Knowing Me, Knowing You'. Perhaps some of the disco pop vibe wore off. In any case, it's definitely an easier listen than many of its predecessors. There a good variety of sounds and styles on the album, from soul to the more traditional Primal Scream rock sounds right to disco (yes, I said disco!). Ultimately, I think this is why I enjoy this band so much - their love of all good music is evident and their love and enthusiasm for what they do is patent. Live, it is palpable (the subject of a separate review, no doubt).

The album opens with the title track Beautiful Future, an upbeat pop track, as happy as I've ever heard them sound, complete with bells (yes, bells) - it sounds almost Christmassy, until you hear the lyrics with their reference to naked bodies hanging from the trees. I read an interview where Bobbie Gillespie said "it's nice to have the lyrics being the way they are, kinda mocking and sarcastic, with that big, happy chorus."

This is followed by the single 'Can't Go Back' which is a return to the fast, rocky sound that we are more familiar with for Primal Scream. It's catchy, that's for sure, with it's sing-along 'woooooo' refrain and hurtles along at breakneck speed.

Uptown is verging on disco, albeit a mellow disco (rather than Hi-NRG) with it's synth violin's and it's vibe about escaping the mundane daily grind by going 'uptown' on a Saturday night. This segues into the Glory of Love, which has a glam feel to it with an 'uh huh huh' chorus and hand clap, but the soaring strings elevate into a more modern sound. Zombie Man is a more upbeat glam with a stomping rhythm and gospel-fuelled chorus.

Suicide Bomb is slower and darker with a reverby guitar riff, building into a crescendo - despite the words 'I see the beauty in everything', the crescendo is pretty angry sounding, as a suicide bomb no doubt should be.

Beautiful Summer is my favourite track on the album. It is atmospheric with a cello baseline and eerie synth, the guitar on this is also really simple but works very well. Primal Scream at their surprising best.

There are a few collaborations on the album:

Lovefoxxx from CSS duets with Bobbie on I Love to Hurt (You Love to be Hurt), an edgy track that is heavy with electronic beats and quirky synth sounds, complimented by a high guitar wail.

Folk singer Linda Thompson duets with Bobbie on OVER & OVER (a Fleetwood Mac cover). Despite Bobbie's voice, Primal Scream are capable of a very moving ballad ('Damaged' from Screamadelica is another one).

Josh Holme from Queens of the Stone Age plays fantastically dirty, rocky guitar riffs and self-indulgent solos on Necro Hex Blues.

Urban Guerrilla is somewhere between 'Rocks' (probably their most successful single) and the Stooges, with it's repetitive two-note riff in the verse and it's three chord chorus. So much better than the final track which is an instrumental and for me the weakest track on the album, falling somewhere between the pomp of Simple Minds and the pointlessness of Yes.

Beautiful Future is not ground breaking, but it is a collection of strong songs from a band whose love and enjoyment of music is evident and whose experience allows them to carry off a variety of styles whilst maintaining something that is their own sound.

If you are a Primal Scream fan you are unlikely to be disappointed, if you know who they are and are not keen, this album is unlikely to change your mind. If you're not very familiar with Primal Scream, but want to find out more, this album is probably not the place to start. So, in conclusion, I'd say that whilst I've always found Primal Scream to be a bit hit and miss, Beautiful Future is definitely more hit than miss. 

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