As with Gorillaz, I have generally found James Lavelle’s UNKLE project to be a more appealing prospect on paper than on record. Bar the occasional early track, such as the haunting, Ian Brown-sung ‘Be There’ or the Thom Yorke collaboration ‘Rabbit In The Headlights’ (both of which are nearly a decade old), the end product has never really matched Lavelle’s ambitions.
And although the producer has rounded up the usual array of impressive guest vocalists – including Josh Homme, James Petralli of White Denim and Clayhill’s Gavin Clark – End Titles, regrettably, is another record that proves to be somewhat less than the sum of its parts.
The first half is largely what we have come to expect from UNKLE, with dark, ominous dance-rock rhythms to the fore. As was the case with their previous album, last year’s War Stories, the vast bulk of this material isn’t bad necessarily, but neither is it hugely inspired. In fact, these tracks generally end up in the one category that Lavelle is no doubt desperate to avoid – decent if unremarkable.
The latter half of End Titles threatens to pull off a comeback comparable to Turkey’s heroics in Euro 2008, with the quieter, more melancholy vibe proving rather more compelling than the group’s leaden dance grooves. Of particular note are the bruised beauty ‘In A Broken Dream’, the Beloved-style ‘Clouds’ and the ragged acoustic number ‘Open Up Your Eyes’, which features a bluesy vocal from cult filmmaker Abel Ferrara (a 2005 documentary on whom, Odyssey In Rome, boasted an UNKLE soundtrack).
‘The Piano Echoes’, meanwhile, is an eerily atmospheric instrumental that makes for a very strong closing track. However, in the final analysis, End Titles’ excessive length (there are 22 tracks) mean that you have to wade through far too much mediocrity to get to the good stuff. Perhaps with greater focus and a more ruthless editing approach, the next UNKLE record might finally see Lavelle make the great album he is undoubtedly capable of.

KEY TRACK: ‘CLOUDS’