Catalogue

May 2, 2008 | By Doug In Catalogue |

Catalogue
Roisin Murphy and Mark Brydon started delivering offbeat electronic-pop hybrids back in the mid 90s. Following their successful (and defiantly quirky) trip hop manifesto Do you like my tight sweater? they moved gradually from the periphery to the pop charts via subsequent albums I Am Not A Doctor, Things To Make And Do and Statues, which spawned the hit singles `Time Is Now’ and `Sing It Back’ amongst others. These two cuts, alongside one of their early hits, `Fun For Me’, are the three songs Moloko fans probably know the best on this retrospective collection, and the three tracks long term fans will probably know best. They’re also the songs that start this collection off, as if those responsible for the track-listing wanted the hits out of the way quick so they could give the lesser-know stuff more of an airing. The remaining ten tracks - which include the breezy acousto-house track `Familiar Feelings’, the oddly funkadelic `Pure Pleasure Seeker’, and the ever-so-sultry `Bankrupt Emotionally’ - profile a surprisingly diverse band, one that perhaps retained their sense of experimentation more than is normally supposed. –Paul Sullivan