Sometimes it can be a real disappointment when bands ‘grow up’ and embrace a radically different sound. In certain cases this can be seen as progression but sometimes it can be a step too far. To All New Arrivals is a sometimes confusing record, mixing too many styles. It is obvious the album is special and personal to Faithless: the band’s songwriting duo of Rollo and Sister Bliss will both have become parents by the end of the year and the music should be listened to in that context.
For singer Maxi Jazz, meanwhile, the title means something completely different: to him, the term “new arrival” refers to his Jamaican parents, who emigrated to the UK in the ‘50s.
Throughout, there are constant references to childhood, along with vocals from children in several tracks. Sadly, this doesn’t always come off. The entire album is quite muddled and confusing, containing several different styles and many guest vocal that fail to really connect with the listener. Especially bizarre is the track ‘Spiders, Crocodiles & Kryptonite’, which begins with a distorted, deeply irritating, helium voice, before breaking into a sample of The Cure’s ‘Lullaby’. This epitomises the entire album; there are glimpses of genius but ultimately the whole thing falls apart.