The Skints – ‘FM’ [Review]
Although my heart is forever torn between London and Brighton, the Skints are pulling me firmly in the direction of the capital with FM. A passionate paean to the Big Smoke, FM is a long-playing set of incredibly fine reggae-related tunes – and a must for audio-adoring culture tourists everywhere.
Although personal highlights are too numerous to list in full here (special mentions go to the sublime vocals on This Town (feat. reggae legends Tippa Irie & Horseman); the 8-bit blips on Come To You; and the hilarious episode of Dancehall Dilemmas that opens Friends & Business), the most important parts of the FM experience are the messages behind the music. Injustice, inequality, and interpersonal strife are afforded a loud-hailing voice on tracks such as In The Night (feat. Horseman), My War, Tazer Beam (feat. Tippa Irie), Eyes In The Back Of My Head (feat. grime MC Rival) and the aforementioned Friends & Business, while This Town and Got No Say offer fist-bumps to London and the band’s own past, and Come To You and Tomorrow slow things right down, chilling out in masterfully-produced auditory luxury.
If you close your eyes and stick FM on, you’ll get as strong a London vibe as you would walking the capital’s streets. FM grooves wickedly, it hits hard when it has to, and it’s perfectly paced and balanced. With this album, the Skints are bordering on genius.
TMMP RATING: 95% (Essential Listening!)
Links
FM drops on March 8th; pre-order it from iTunes here.
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