It’s been a long time coming but finally – finally! - I have a new album to write home about. Handsome Boy Modeling School is back on the map and they’ve created an album that’s fun for all the family.
Nobody dared to expect a follow-up to the solid-gold offering of 2001’s So… How’s Your Girl, but Prince Paul and Dan “The Automator” Nakamura have dusted off their finest cocktail suits, assumed sharp new alter-egos and spawned a new generation of Handsome graduates from across the musical spectrum and (its ageing woodwork).
From De La Soul and Limp Bizkit to Jamie Cullum and Mike Patton, White People is a great deal more ambitious in its cross-fertilisation, but much like the union between peanut butter and jelly (or, if you will, cheese and Vegemite), the true art lies in the mix. From inspired songwriting to masterful production, the Handsome Boy Models have been expertly crafted.
Forthcoming single and prophetically titled album ‘The World’s Gone Mad’ is the standout track that brings three disparate voices into one delicious dubby bed – Del The Funky Homosapian (Gorillaz), Jamaican veteran Barringtown Levy and Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos. Talk about beautiful synergy – this is so goddam cool it hurts.
So too with ‘I’ve Been Thinking’. Cat Power’s Chan Marshall delivers a mesmerizing number that recalls the love-turned-sour recollections of Jill Scott’s ‘Love Rain’. ‘Breakdown’ is another charmingly crafted beat-laden song that features the Ben Harper-esque vocals of Hawaiian pro-surfer-turned-singer-songwriter Jack Johnson (one for the ladies). ‘Rock and Roll’, meanwhile, is a veritable symposium-through-song on the relationship between hip hop and rock.
The following track, ‘The Hours’, takes that well-executed concept a bit too far, pitting Deftones’ Cheno Morino (and his fingers-down-chalkboard-like singing) against underground rappers EL-P and Cage. It is, however, only one weak moment among a handsome collection.
More odd couplings emerge with RZA versus the Mars Volta; Pharrell Williams versus Julee Cruise (aka the eerie voice from the Twin Peaks theme song) – and weirdest of all – Jamie Cullum versus John Oates (of ’80s duo Hall & Oates). That one’s for your momma.
Trainspotters will also love appearances from Mike Patton (Faith No More), De La Soul, Rahzel (The Roots), Dres (Black Sheep), Qbert (Tribe Called Quest) and Tim Meadows’ (of Saturday Night Live fame) Father Guido Sarducci who provides the comic sketches and brings a sense of cohesion to the Handsome Boy showcase.
Must be heard to be believed.