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Psyence Fiction

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"Guns Blazing" redirects here. For the Eminem song, seeMusic to Be Murdered By.

Psyence Fiction
Studio albumby
Unkle
Released24 August 1998(1998-08-24)
RecordedAugust 1996 – 1998
Studio
Genre
Length54:59
LabelMo' Wax
ProducerUnkle
Unklechronology
Psyence Fiction
(1998) 		Never, Never, Land
(2003)
SinglesfromPsyence Fiction
  1. "Rabbit in Your Headlights"
    Released: 12 October 1998
  2. "Be There"
    Released: 8 February 1999

Psyence Fictionis the debutstudio albumby Englishelectronic musicactUnkle,released on 24 August 1998 byMo' Wax.The album was produced by Unkle, at the time consisting ofJames LavelleandDJ Shadow.The music onPsyence Fictionwas primarily composed by DJ Shadow, while Lavelle recruited numerous guest musicians to contribute to the album's recording.

Background and recording

[edit]

Unkle started planning their debut album in 1995.[1]A month of recording inLos Angelesproduced 15 finished tracks, but apart from "Berry Meditation", which would be issued as a non-album single, Unkle founderJames Lavellescrapped the tracks, finding them unrepresentative of his vision for the project.[2]In August 1996, Unkle, by now composed of Lavelle andDJ Shadow,began production on the material that would ultimately appear onPsyence Fiction.[2]Inspired byThe Verve's 1995 albumA Northern Soul,Lavelle wished to move Unkle in a more song-oriented musical direction: "My frustration was that I didn't want to make weirdinstrumental hip hoprecords. We could've easily achieved that but I wanted songs. Listening toRichard Ashcroftwas a revelation because I thought, 'If I could bring that ilk of singer in with what I was hearing from Shadow I'll crack it'. "[2]Unkle recorded "Lonely Soul", a collaboration with Verve lead singer Ashcroft, in September 1996.[2]

In July 1997, Unkle worked on "Rabbit in Your Headlights"withThom Yorke,who performed vocals on the song.[2]It was originally intended as a collaboration with Yorke's bandRadiohead,but Yorke saw the track as an opportunity "to do something completely different" from his band's music, according to Lavelle.[2]In August,Alice Templerecorded vocals for "Bloodstain", and French musician Atlantique, a friend and early collaborator of Lavelle's, recorded vocals and music for "Chaos".[2][3]The following month,Mark HollisofTalk Talkcontributed piano to "Chaos", whileWil Malonearranged and conducted strings for "Lonely Soul" and "Celestial Annihilation".[2]Unkle recorded "Guns Blazing (Drums of Death Part 1)" in October withKool G Rap,who was the only guest performer onPsyence Fictionselected by DJ Shadow rather than Lavelle.[2]Badly Drawn Boy,whom Lavelle at one point considered recruiting as Unkle's lead singer on the album, recorded vocals for "Nursery Rhyme / Breather" in February 1998.[2]In February and March, Unkle recorded "The Knock (Drums of Death Part 2)", withMike Dof theBeastie Boysperforming vocals andJason NewstedofMetallicaplaying bass guitar andthereminon the track.[2]

The individual tracks onPsyence Fictionwere recorded at different studios in California andLondon.Vocals were recorded at The Site inSan Rafael,theRecord PlantinHollywood,and the London studios Strongroom andMilo,while strings were recorded at CTS in London.[3]The tracks were likewise mixed at different studios, including the Record Plant, Strongroom, and the London facilitiesMetropolis,RAK,and Matrix.[3]

Release

[edit]

Psyence Fictionwas widely anticipated by music journalists and audiences,[4]particularly due to its high-profile cast of musical collaborators.[5]Given DJ Shadow's prominent role in its production, it was viewed as a de facto follow-up to his debut albumEndtroducing.....,which had been released in 1996 to widespread acclaim.[6]Psyence Fictionwas released in the United Kingdom on 24 August 1998 by Lavelle's labelMo' Wax.[7]It peaked at number four on theUK Albums Chart.[8]In the United States, it was released by Mo' Wax andLondon Recordson 29 September 1998,[9]reaching number 107 on theBillboard200and topping theHeatseekers Albumschart.[10][11]London Records executives were satisfied with the album's American sales, though DJ Shadow was disappointed by itsBillboard200 chart peak.[12]

"Rabbit in Your Headlights" was issued as the first single fromPsyence Fictionon 12 October 1998.[13]"Be There",a remix of the instrumental track" Unreal "featuring newly recorded vocals byIan Brown,[14]was released as the album's second single on 8 February 1999,[15]peaking at number eight on theUK Singles Chart.[16]Too weary to commit to further touring, and with his partnership with Lavelle having grown strained, DJ Shadow left Unkle during the promotional cycle for the album.[17]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[19]
The Guardian[20]
Mixmag[21]
NME6/10[22]
Pitchfork9.8/10[23]
Q[24]
Rolling Stone[25]
Select4/5[26]
Spin8/10[27]

At the time of the album's release, various critics opined thatPsyence Fictionfailed to live up to its hype.[5][28]NMEreviewer John Mulvey wrote that DJ Shadow's music "rarely gels with Lavelle's chosen singers or even comes to terms with the song (as opposed togroove) format of much of the material ".[22]Caroline Sullivan ofThe Guardiansaid that while the album successfully sustains its "foreboding" mood, "its strength is also its weakness: somewhere amid the sprawl of bad dreams it turns into nothing more than meandering tunes with spooky keyboards attached."[20]The A.V. Club's Joshua Klein criticised Unkle's decision to eschewhip hopfor a "more conventionalalt-rockoutline ", concluding that"Psyence Fictioncan be chalked up as an ambitious failure; its principals can put it on their résumés, but cultural historians needn't put in their books. "[29]CriticRobert Christgauawarded the album a "one-star honorable mention",deeming it" not beautiful (or weird) enough for its own beats ".[30]

Among more positive reviews, Dorian Lynskey raved inMixmagthatPsyence Fictiondemonstrates thatdance music"can use rock vocalists, guitars and orchestras without losing its sense of otherness" and "be dark and expansive without becoming self-important".[21]Barry Walters ofSpinfound the music "chaotic but never overwhelming" and described the album as "the illestsoundclashsince the last time ab-boycrashed aGeorge Romerofilm festival and refused to turn off his boom-box ".[27]InRolling Stone,Lorraine Alicalled it "neither a loftyconcept albumnor the sonic equivalent of cinema ", but concluded that" it is Shadow and Lavelle's striving for such greatness that makes Unkle a compelling work in progress. "[25]Entertainment WeeklycriticDavid Brownewrote that the album's best songs "are like a soundtrack for a surreal, melancholyart filmthat exists in Shadow's and Lavelle's heads ",[19]while Gareth Grundy ofSelectsaid that "Shadow's signature production providesPsyence Fictionwith coherence ", and that Unkle's vision is" thrillingly realised "throughout.[26]

Legacy

[edit]

In 2003, Lavelle stated that the hype surroundingPsyence Fictionhad overshadowed its musical content, and that he felt it was released at a time "when people wanted [him] to fail."[5]DJ Shadow said in 2010 that he viewed the album fondly despite finding it "somehow flawed."[31]

In the years since the release ofPsyence Fiction,"its stature has grown", according toThe Age.[5]AllMusiceditorStephen Thomas Erlewinewrote that the album "gains momentum on repeated listens" due to "Shadow's imagination and unpredictable highlights", calling it "a superstar project that doesn't play it safe and actually has its share of rich, rewarding music."[18]In a retrospective piece forThe Vinyl Factory,Eliot Wilder expressed similar sentiments and noted thatPsyence Fictionhad "gained cult status for its chaoticcollagesand maverick collaborations ", adding that" it feels today like the kind of crazy, alt-star-strewn mash fest that it is. "[6]Chris DeVille ofStereogumsaid that it foreshadowed music by "likeminded ecumenical collectives likeGorillazandHandsome Boy Modeling School",and that" in terms of quality alone, it's worthy of remembering as one of the best albums of its era. "[32]Psyence Fictionwas included in lists of the besttrip hopalbums byFact(at number 45)[33]andSlant Magazine(at number nine).[34]

In June 2013, Mo' Wax launched aKickstartercampaign titled "Urban Archaeology: 21 Years of Mo'Wax", part of which included a deluxeCDre-release ofPsyence Fiction.[35]As of late 2020, thePsyence Fictionalbum has not been released to the campaign's contributors.

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Guns Blazing (Drums of Death Part 1)"
5:01
2."Unkle Main Title Theme"Davis3:24
3."Bloodstain"
5:57
4."Unreal"
5:10
5."Lonely Soul"
8:56
6."Getting Ahead in the Lucrative Field of Artist Management"0:56
7."Nursery Rhyme / Breather"
4:45
8."Celestial Annihilation"
  • Davis
  • Malone
4:44
9."The Knock (Drums of Death Part 2)"
3:58
10."Chaos"Atlantique Khanh4:42
11."Rabbit in Your Headlights"
6:20
12."Outro (Mandatory)"1:06
Total length:54:59
Japanese edition and Australian limited edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
0."Intro (Optional)" (CDpregaphidden track)2:19
13."Guns Blazing (Drums of Death Part 1)" (instrumental)Davis4:00
14."The Knock (Drums of Death Part 2)" (instrumental)Davis3:52
Total length:65:10
2003 reissue bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Be There"(featuringIan Brown)
  • Davis
  • Blattner
  • Brown
5:15
Total length:60:14

Sample credits[36][37]

  • "Bloodstain" contains samples of "Alone", performed by BeBe K'Roche.
  • "Unreal" and "Be There" contain samples of "Birth", written byJules Blattnerand performed byThe Jules Blattner Group;and "Pre-Dawn Retrospective Chant", performed by Steve Forman.
  • "Celestial Annihilation" is based on "Concerto for Strings and Beats", written byWil Malone.

Personnel

[edit]

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[3]

Unkle

Additional musicians

Production

Design

  • Will Bankhead – photography
  • Ben Drury– sleeve design
  • Tim Drury – grid design
  • Futura 2000– cover artwork, painting, character design
  • Andy Holmes – sleeve design (assistance)
  • Ryan Murphy – photography
  • David Murray – characterwire-framedesign (assistance)
  • Ali Peck – photography (assistance)
  • Derek Waters – character wire-frame design

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[38] 15
Belgian Albums (UltratopFlanders)[39] 22
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[40] 60
European Top 100 Albums(Music & Media)[41] 28
French Albums (SNEP)[42] 39
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[43] 77
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[44] 33
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[45] 18
Scottish Albums(OCC)[46] 7
UK Albums(OCC)[8] 4
UK Dance Albums(OCC)[47] 1
UK Independent Albums(OCC)[48] 1
USBillboard200[10] 107
USHeatseekers Albums(Billboard)[11] 1

Year-end charts

[edit]
1998 year-end chart performance forPsyence Fiction
Chart (1998) Position
UK Albums (OCC)[49] 130

References

[edit]
  1. ^"The Manna From Unkle!".NME.22 June 1998.Retrieved7 June2021.
  2. ^abcdefghijklBurgess, John (August–September 1998)."The Horror! The Horror!".Jockey Slut.Vol. 2, no. 15.Retrieved7 June2021.
  3. ^abcdPsyence Fiction(liner notes).Unkle.Mo' Wax.1998. MW085CD.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^Butler, Jim (25 July 2007)."In defence of James Lavelle".The Guardian.Retrieved7 June2021.
  5. ^abcd"The men from UNKLE".The Age.3 October 2003.Retrieved9 September2018.
  6. ^abWilder, Eliot (24 August 2018)."20 years of UNKLE's Psyence Fiction".The Vinyl Factory.Retrieved9 September2018.
  7. ^"Lavelle's Unkle Makes August Visit".NME.16 June 1998.Retrieved7 June2021.
  8. ^ab"Official Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  9. ^"Cry Unkle"(PDF).Billboard.Vol. 110, no. 35. 29 August 1998. p. 18.Retrieved7 June2021.
  10. ^ab"Unkle Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  11. ^ab"Unkle Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  12. ^Werde, Bill (June 2002)."The Shadow Knows".CMJ New Music Monthly.No. 102. pp. 32–33, 37–39.Retrieved9 September2018.
  13. ^Rabbit in Your Headlights(press advertisement).Mo' Wax.1998. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021.Retrieved7 June2021.{{cite AV media}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. ^"A Monkey's Unkle".NME.10 November 1998.Retrieved13 June2021.
  15. ^"New Releases 8 February 1999 – 14 February 1999: All".Juno Records.Archived fromthe originalon 25 August 2004.Retrieved7 June2021.
  16. ^"U.N.K.L.E."Official Charts Company.Retrieved7 June2021.
  17. ^Jones, Matthew (director) (2016).The Man from Mo'Wax(motion picture). Capture.
  18. ^abErlewine, Stephen Thomas."Psyence Fiction – UNKLE".AllMusic.Retrieved5 August2014.
  19. ^abBrowne, David(16 October 1998)."Psyence Fiction".Entertainment Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on 22 July 2024.Retrieved5 August2014.
  20. ^abSullivan, Caroline (28 August 1998). "UNKLE: Psyence Fiction (Mo' Wax)".The Guardian.
  21. ^abLynskey, Dorian (August 1998)."UNKLE: Psyence Fiction".Mixmag.Vol. 2, no. 87. p. 107. Archived fromthe originalon 1 October 2015.Retrieved22 July2024.
  22. ^abMulvey, John (19 August 1998)."UNKLE – Psyence Fiction".NME.Archived fromthe originalon 17 November 1999.Retrieved20 February2016.
  23. ^Schreiber, Ryan."UNKLE: Psyence Fiction".Pitchfork.Archived fromthe originalon 16 November 2006.Retrieved5 August2014.
  24. ^Maconie, Stuart(September 1998). "UNKLE: Psyence Fiction".Q.No. 144. p. 93.
  25. ^abAli, Lorraine(15 October 1998)."U.N.K.L.E.: Psyence Fiction".Rolling Stone.No. 797. p. 128. Archived fromthe originalon 13 November 2007.Retrieved20 February2016.
  26. ^abGrundy, Gareth (September 1998)."The rebel alliance".Select.No. 99. p. 80. Archived fromthe originalon 1 October 2015.Retrieved22 July2024.
  27. ^abWalters, Barry (November 1998)."UNKLE: Psyence Fiction".Spin.Vol. 14, no. 11. pp. 135–136.Retrieved20 February2016.
  28. ^Ryan, Chris (2004). "UNKLE". InBrackett, Nathan;Hoard, Christian(eds.).The New Rolling Stone Album Guide(4th ed.).Simon & Schuster.pp.837–838.ISBN0-7432-0169-8.
  29. ^Klein, Joshua (29 March 2002)."UNKLE: Psyence Fiction".The A.V. Club.Retrieved9 September2018.
  30. ^Christgau, Robert(2000)."Unkle: Psyence Fiction".Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s.St. Martin's Griffin.p. 322.ISBN0-312-24560-2.Retrieved20 February2016.
  31. ^Doran, John (18 October 2010)."Megadef: DJ Shadow Interviewed".The Quietus.Retrieved9 September2018.
  32. ^DeVille, Chris (24 August 2018)."Psyence Fiction Turns 20".Stereogum.Retrieved9 September2018.
  33. ^Twells, John;Fintoni, Laurent (30 July 2015)."The 50 best trip-hop albums of all time".Fact.Retrieved9 September2018.
  34. ^"The 20 Best Trip-Hop Albums of All Time".Slant Magazine.23 April 2021.Retrieved13 June2021.
  35. ^Mo' Wax(10 June 2013)."Urban Archaeology: 21 Years Of Mo'Wax".Kickstarter.Retrieved10 January2021.
  36. ^Psyence Fiction(liner notes).Unkle.UMC.2019. 6759386.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  37. ^Psyence Fiction(liner notes).Unkle.Mo' Wax.2003. MW085CDX.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  38. ^"Australiancharts.com – Unkle – Psyence Fiction".Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  39. ^"Ultratop.be – Unkle – Psyence Fiction"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  40. ^"Dutchcharts.nl – Unkle – Psyence Fiction"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  41. ^"European Top 100 Albums"(PDF).Music & Media.Vol. 15, no. 37. 12 September 1998. p. 11.Retrieved7 June2021.
  42. ^"Lescharts.com – Unkle – Psyence Fiction".Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  43. ^"Offiziellecharts.de – Unkle – Psyence Fiction"(in German).GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  44. ^"Charts.nz – Unkle – Psyence Fiction".Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  45. ^"Norwegiancharts.com – Unkle – Psyence Fiction".Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  46. ^"Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  47. ^"Dance Albums"(PDF).Music Week.5 September 1998. p. 25.Retrieved18 July2021.
  48. ^"Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  49. ^"Najlepiej sprzedające się albumy w W.Brytanii w 1998r"(in Polish). Z archiwum...rocka. Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2012.Retrieved16 September2021.
[edit]
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