'Any Minute Now' by Soulwax

'Any Minute Now' was Soulwax's second UK release, and I'm fairly certain I bought it on its release. I'm also fairly certain I bought at least one other album at the same time, and then didn't really bother to listen to 'Any Minute Now' more than a couple of times before consigning it to the 'disappointing' category.

Before releasing this, Soulwax had a pecualiar dual identity -mild mannered indie band by day (the most successful indie band in Belgium, perhaps - what an honour), respected DJ artists by night. This album seems very much like an attempt to bring together these two areas of work. Whether it succeeds or not is debateable. It could be said that the album attempts to straddle the line between indie and dance without fitting comfortably into either camp. In some ways, that's perhaps a good thing - one in the eye for pigeon-holing. On the other hand, it obviously didn't convince me at the time, or I'd have remembered some of it. Honestly, I couldn't have hummed a single tune from it before listening this time round.

That said, I've been listening to it on repeat for four days, and I'd still be hard pressed to do so. The first half a dozen tracks are all cut from a similar template - loud, partly programmed drums, distorted guitar, heavily processed bass and vocals - it all adds up to quite an assault on the senses. I imagine if you played them in a club, they'd sound great. An empty classroom at 7:30 in the morning doesn't have quite the same effect. When 'A Ballad To Forget' (track seven) provides a gentle piano-based ballad, it's a blessed relief, frankly. It stays quiet for 'Accidents and Compliments', then plows into 'NY Excuse'. This is the most dance-based track on the album, but also one of the most effective, which adds weight to the idea that maybe the band should have made up their mind about what they were trying to achieve. Then the album plays out to a close in much the same way it opened.

This isn't an album I could love. Never-the-less, I've been interested enough to spend four days listening to it again and again, and actually, it's growing on me. I don't think I could describe it as successful, but it's a bold attempt to try something new as a band, and it has its moments.