Best Of Groove Armada, The - Groove Armada

...you it’s up with the best tracks on the album.

# 6-14
The rest of the album is more niche in its use of effects, as the tracks you will know are much more mainstream (which is obviously why you will have heard them in the first place). The rest of the album has a more dance-y / club feel and consequently, won’t please most people as much as the earlier tracks. If however, you are more knowledgeable about Groove Armada, and know ...
...to cheaply expand their collection. I would recommend a listen however, be it over at a friend’s house or in a shop such as Borders, before purchasing it, as it’s certainly not for everyone.

The Best of Groove Armada retails at about £9 and is out now.  ... more

I must admit that I knew very little about Groove Armada before getting this CD. In actual fact, I based almost my entire opinion of them on that advert for the Renault Megane… You know the one. Lots of arses. Yeah, thought that might remind you… Anyhoo, I took the plunge and picked up the album anyway. I liked the song from the advert, and considering this was a “Best of…” album, it couldn’t be that bad could it?

Fortunately I was right. I’ve since seen an advert for the album in Q magazine and it describes exactly how I felt when I first listened to the album: “You know more Groove Armada than you think you do!” Groove Armada are one of those bands that have been around for ages, somehow seeping into your life even if you never knew who it was on the radio at the time.

Groove Armada aren’t easy to describe, because their tracks are relatively varied and they don’t fall into a simple category like “Pop” or “Rock”. They rely on vocals and synthesisers, but don’t worry – there’s no tacky 80s synth-pop here (not that synth-pop is a bad thing, you understand). But without further ado, I’ll launch into the track mini-reviews:

# 1 – Superstylin
This first track eases you into the album very nicely. It starts of very laid back, making you think of a beach party on some remote island, or something equally as exotic. It does get a bit more interesting though, with the pace picking up. The only thing I could complain about is that the song is a bit long (6:00), and does tend to repeat itself a bit. Works well as background music though.

# 2 - If Everybody Looked the Same
This is one of those tracks I was talking about in the second paragraph. You will have heard it; I don’t care if you are now screaming insults at your computer screen – I’m telling you you’ve heard it, and you almost certainly have at one time or another. But just in case, here’s a test:

“If everybody looked the same,
We’d get tired of looking at each other.”

Recognise it? I hope you do (so I don’t look like a fool, more than anything else). This is one of my favourite tracks on the album, for its simple yet very true message and catchy tune.

# 3 - I See You Baby [Fatboy Slim Remix]
One word: RENAULT. I don’t really need to review this one, as everyone will have seen the advert. Needless to say, it’s the most famous track (and, in my opinion, the best) on the album. Fatboy Slim has done a great job remixing it, and it simply sounds great.

# 4 - At the River
In total contrast with the previous track – this one is very laid back. It finishes off the trio of songs that you will have heard at some time or another. It is a simple tune, like a lot of Groove Armada’s work, with just vocals, a flowing melody and a simple drum beat in the background.

# 5 – My Friend
This is a nice, upbeat song. However, it does use some unusual synthesiser effects, which might not be to everybody’s taste, and stop me telling you it’s up with the best tracks on the album.

# 6-14
The rest of the album is more niche in its use of effects, as the tracks you will know are much more mainstream (which is obviously why you will have heard them in the first place). The rest of the album has a more dance-y / club feel and consequently, won’t please most people as much as the earlier tracks. If however, you are more knowledgeable about Groove Armada, and know you like their stuff, then these later tracks are a good selection if you don’t want to splash out on a load of albums.

I hope you don’t feel that this grouping together of tracks is a cop-out. Obviously, it could be taken as such, but there is little point in going through a lot of similar tracks, saying pretty much the same things about each one (my thesaurus deserves a break).

I can recommend this album to two groups of people. Those who like the earlier tracks on the album, but aren’t so keen on the new stuff (this group would do well to pick it up if it’s going cheap) and the bigger fans who are looking to cheaply expand their collection. I would recommend a listen however, be it over at a friend’s house or in a shop such as Borders, before purchasing it, as it’s certainly not for everyone.

The Best of Groove Armada retails at about £9 and is out now. 

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